Police rescue two children stranded in father’s SUV along Abuja-Kaduna highway

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

Police operatives in Niger State have rescued two children, aged 8 and 12, who were found stranded inside their father’s vehicle along the Abuja–Kaduna highway after the SUV went missing in Suleja.

The incident occurred after the father took the children to a public school in Suleja to process their academic admissions, but was turned back at the gate due to incomplete documentation.

Confirming the incident in a statement released in Minna, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Niger State Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, explained that the father parked by the roadside outside the school premises and handed the keys to the children before stepping into a nearby business center to make photocopies.

However, upon returning, he discovered that both his children and his vehicle—a Toyota Highlander with registration number ABJ 810 GZ—were missing from where he had parked.

A formal report was immediately lodged at the Maje Divisional Police Headquarters, prompting the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to mobilize a tactical team.

The Police stated that officers interviewed security personnel at the school gate and deployed patrol units along key transit routes.

It added that the search led to the recovery of the abandoned vehicle along the busy Abuja–Kaduna expressway, with both children found unharmed inside.

“When questioned by investigators, the children explained that they had simply fallen asleep while waiting for their father to return,” SP Abiodun stated, adding that the vehicle was thoroughly searched and recovered.

The Police Command stated that a detailed investigation is ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding how the vehicle moved or was driven from the school gate to the highway location.