The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has busted a child trafficking syndicate and rescued 59 children who were been ferried to other parts of the country.
The children, aged between 4 and 12 years, were rescued by the police Patrol and Guard unit at about 3:30 pm along the Abuja-Kano highway.
The team, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sarki Umar, intercepted a white Peugeot 15 bus with registration number KMC 283 ZJ, driven by Idris Usman, a resident of Kano State, and accompanied by Alhassan Ibrahim, also from Kano State.
Speaking on the development, FCT Police Commissioner Olatunji Disu said preliminary investigations revealed that the children, who came from different families, were being transported by Idris Usman, a resident of Nasarawa State.
At the parade of the suspects at the police command headquarters in Abuja, Usman claimed he travelled to Kano State to collect the children en route to Nasarawa State under the pretext of training them.
CP Disu said, “This 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.”
He added, “At present, the suspects, the vehicle, and all the children are in custody while a thorough investigation is underway.”
“The Police Command is working closely with the FCT Social Development Secretariat (SDS) to ensure the children are safely reunited with their families and to bring all those involved in this act to justice.
The CP reiterated the commitment of the FCT command to protecting vulnerable groups, particularly children, from exploitation and abuse, in line with the Child’s Right Act 2003.
He appealed to parents and guardians to remain vigilant and ensure the safety of their children.
Usman in a chat with newsmen, claimed he ran an Islamic school in Nasarawa State saying he has been a teacher for over forty years.
He said he was unaware that he had committed a crime by trafficking the children, admitting that while in training, he sends the children to beg for food to fend for themselves.
He added that sometimes he receives food from kind-hearted Nigerians to feed the children.
He further claimed this was the first time he had taken such a large number of children to Nasarawa.
