Enugu State Police Command has on Friday arrested and paraded two suspected child traffickers who specialize in moving children from one part of the country to another.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ahmed Abdurrahman, while parading the suspects in Enugu, said that the suspects were intercepted trafficking nine children on January 4.
He explained that the suspects and the children were in a luxury bus travelling from Plateau State in North Central zone to River State in South-South zone.
Abdurrahman said that they were intercepted at Orba Check-point in Udenu council area of the state by the army troop “Operation Atilogwu Udo 1’’, who handed over the victims and suspects to his command for further investigation.
According to him, the nine children, including four girls and five boys aged between two year and 13 years, were recovered from the suspected child traffickers.
Abdurrahman expressed that one female suspect was moving with the children in the luxury bus before the interception while the other suspect specializes in recruiting the children being trafficked from Barkin Ladi council area in Plateau State.
The commissioner, however, noted that the police was still tracking the end receiver of the trafficked children, who allegedly runs an orphanage in Port Harcourt, River State.
In his statement;
This is a type of organised crime where children are trafficked from the Northern part of the country to the South-East and South-South. This syndicate runs their illegal business using orphanage as a cover-up.
We have reached and contacted the parents of the trafficked children and some said that they gave their children to the (suspect) on condition that he will provide better welfare and education for them.
While emphasizing on the need for proper parenting, Abdurrahman revealed that;
Some other parents said that they did not know when their children moved out of their homes and they have declared them missing for some time now. While at the end receiver’s point, only God knows what these children are used for; some might be used as sacrificial lambs, child labor; and others subjected to a lot of criminal activities.
The state commissioner went to advise that parents especially people in Plateau State to always know the whereabout of their children and endeavor to take care of them.
In his conclusion, commissioner Abdurrahman appreciated the Army for making the arrest possible and said the children would be handed over to their parents after investigation is complete.
