By Ken Chiwendu
Police in Kano have arrested nine persons belonging to an inter-state child abduction and trafficking syndicate
According to the state police command, the arrest followed reports of missing children and months of discreet investigation and tracking across seven states namely Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Lagos, Delta, Anambra and Imo states.
The Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel told journalists on Thursday in Kano that the syndicate has been operating for over 10 years, and allegedly specialised in inter-states trafficking, abduction, buying and selling of minors.
“It was through diligent investigations by our dedicated team of officers that the operation of these criminal networks that have been in existence for more than 10 years were identified,”
The Kano Police boss said seven victims, mostly minors, were rescued from the suspects, adding that some of the children were sold for between N300,000 and N600,000.
“It was found during investigations that a victim, Mohammed Ilya who was abducted from Bauchi but had his name changed to Chidebere, was sold recently at Nnewi in Anambra,”
Gumel said the command was working with the state government to ensure that all the children were safely reunited with their original families . He urged residents to be security conscious to avert such criminal acts.
