- …59 male children rescued
By Stanley Onyekwere
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has intercepted suspected child trafficking syndicate inside a bus along the Abuja-Kano route, found to be transporting 59 male children aged between 4 to 12 years.
It was disclosed that the Command’s Patrol and Guard unit led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sarki Umar intercepted the vehicle, which is a white Peugeot 15 bus with Reg. No. KMC 283 ZJ, driven by Ali Ibrahim, a male resident of Kano State, accompanied by his motor boy, Al Hassan Ibrahim, also of Kano State.
This was revealed by the Commissioner of Police FCT, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, yesterday in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the Command’s recent arrests and rescues made within the last two days.
Disu said preliminary investigations revealed that the children, who came from different families, were being transported by one Idris Usman, a male resident of Nasarawa State, who allegedly traveled to Kano State to convene the children en route to Nasarawa under the pretext of training them.
He added that the incident has been classified as a case of suspected child abuse and trafficking, given the circumstances and the absence of proper documentation or parental consent for the movement of the minors.
According to him, the suspects, the vehicle, and all the children are in custody while a thorough investigation is underway.
“The Police Command is working closely with FCT Social Development Secretariat (SDS), to ensure that the children are safely reunited with their families and to bring all those involved in this act to justice.
“I want to reiterate our commitment to protecting vulnerable groups, particularly children, from exploitation and abuse in line with the Child’s Right Act 2003.
“We appeal to parents and guardians to remain vigilant and ensure the safety of their children”, he stated.
