The Kano State Police Command has apprehended nine individuals involved in the trafficking, abduction, and sale of minors. The state Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, revealed this development during the public parade of the suspects at the Bompai command’s headquarters on Thursday. The arrests were made possible through various intelligence-led operations, uncovering longstanding interstate trafficking syndicates operating in Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Lagos, Delta, Anambra, and Imo states. As a result of these operations, seven minors were rescued from the suspects. Gumel highlighted that meticulous investigations led to the identification of these criminal networks, some of which had been operating for over a decade.
The commissioner also revealed that rescued children, mostly aged between three and eight, were sold for sums ranging from N300,000 to N600,000, depending on their ages. He also mentioned a specific case where a victim named Mohammed Ilya, who was initially abducted from Bauchi, had his name changed to Chidebere and was recently sold in Nnewi, Anambra State. Gumel affirmed the commitment of the command in collaborating with the state government to ensure the safe return and reunion of the abducted children with their original family members.
He provided assurances to the public, stating that stringent security measures have been implemented under his leadership to eradicate this menace once and for all.