In Nasarawa State, CP Shehu Umar Nadada, Commissioner of Police, has presented 12 individuals who were arrested for child trafficking and various other criminal activities within the state.
These suspects, who are connected to the trafficking of 45 children, were displayed in Lafia on Friday. Since January 1, a total of 57 individuals have been apprehended by the state Police Command, as divulged by Nadada in a press briefing at the state Police Command Headquarters in Lafia.
The suspects consist of three individuals suspected of kidnapping, three armed robbery suspects, and twenty suspected fraudsters, in addition to others seized for offenses such as rape and motorcycle/vehicle theft.
One of the incidents involved the abduction of a five-year-old boy in Keffi. This led to the arrest of Ismaila Adamu, who was involved in a syndicate specializing in child theft, subsequently leading to the arrest of other individuals involved in the theft and sale of children.
Nadada revealed that an analysis of the suspects’ phones discovered that 45 children had been stolen and unlawfully adopted by unwitting members of the public across the country.
According to Nadada, the suspects confessed to stealing and selling the children at varying prices, ranging from N350,000 to N1,500,000, depending on their age and gender. They also admitted to colluding with Social Welfare officers of certain ministries to create forged documents and sell the children to willing buyers.
The Police Commissioner stated that six children have been rescued in Abuja, Ondo, and Lagos states, respectively, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend more suspects involved in the crime and recover more of the stolen children.
Various items were confiscated from the suspects as exhibits, including counterfeit foreign currency, firearms and ammunition, 10 motorcycles, and 2 vehicles.