The Nasarawa Police Command in Nigeria has successfully rescued six children from a criminal syndicate involved in theft and the trafficking of minors across four states, including Abuja.
Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Shehu Nadada, made this revelation while addressing the media at the Command Headquarters in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State. Alongside the rescue of the six children, a total of 47 suspects were apprehended in connection with various criminal activities.
CP Nadada elaborated that the syndicate’s activities came to light following the confession of one Ismaila Adamu, who was arrested for the alleged abduction of a five-year-old boy in Keffi Local Government Area. Adamu’s disclosure led to the unraveling of the syndicate’s operations, resulting in the arrest of additional suspects.
The collaborative efforts of the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Interpol Criminal Investigation Department led to the apprehension of ten individuals directly linked to the trafficking ring. Notable among those arrested were Hassana Jacob, Elishua Idoko, Gloria Ene, Abdulkarim Abubakar, Ramatu Ibrahim, Victoria Cosmos, Eforma Sunday, Dorcas Ologbo, and Sherifat Amuda.
Disturbingly, it was revealed that certain social welfare officers from government ministries were complicit in facilitating the trafficking by providing forged documents to legitimise the illicit transactions.
In interviews with some of the suspects, Mrs. Hassana Jacob confessed to stealing children, primarily from Plateau State, and selling them for amounts ranging between 250,000 and 400,000 Naira. Abdulkarim Abubakar and Mrs. Sherifat Amuda, apprehended in Niger and Ogun States, respectively, claimed ignorance regarding the origins of the children they were involved in trafficking.
Among the detained suspects were two individuals found in possession of counterfeit currency amounting to 450,000 Naira in one hundred denomination notes.