Nigerian police had arrested a 44-old woman for alleged theft of 15 children in the southern Rivers state of the country.
The police say the children were abducted in order to be trafficked by the woman - who claimed to be a nun running an orphanage.
The children are reportedly aged between four to 15 years.
The police said they were working to remate the children with their parents.
State Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka, said investigations revealed that some had been abducted years ago, including a nine-year old boy who had been taken from a market in 2020.
He said some of the children had recounted to the police their experiences of torture and mistreatment with child abuse only.
He said a further probe into the incident was ongoing with a view to arrest other suspects linked to the crimes.
Human trafficking is common in Nigeria.