CP Gumel briefing journalists at the Bompai headquarters on Thursday, at the background are the rescued children and their abductors

* Rescues seven children

By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano 

Nine suspected abductors are cooling their heels at the Bompai headquaters of Kano state Police Command for allegedly abducting and trafficking minors from the Northern part of the country to some states in the South, including Lagos, Anambra, Edo and Imo.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Usaini Gumel, paraded the suspects, with the seven recovered children at the Police headquarters  on Thursday.

The abductors cum child traffickers were paraded alongside other criminals, including kidnappers, car snatchers, armed robbers, motorcycle snatchers, among other criminals.

According to CP Gumel: “In the area of tackling offences around human trafficking, including the buying and selling of minors, the Police Command has conducted several intelligence-led operations through which the longtime cycle of  Inter-states trafficking syndicates hibernating around Kano,  Bauchi, Gombe, Lagos, Delta, Anambra and Imo states… was identified and dismantled.

“In this commitments, a total of nine suspects were arrested with seven victims who are mostly minors being rescued from the clutches of this harrowing criminal activities.

” It was through diligent investigations by our dedicated teams of officers that the operations of these criminal networks that have been in existence for more than 10 years were identified.

” This is part of our determination to ensure that Kano state remains a place where the rights and dignity of every individual are upheld. Therefore, the general public should remain assured that this Police Command under my watch have put in place reinforced security measure to end this kind of sensitive illegal acts once and for all.”

According to police investigations, the suspects abducted the children from northern parts of the country with the intention to sell them out to prospective buyers in the Southern part to make huge economic gains.

Police investigation also revealed that some of the children are cultured and assimilated as they can no longer speak their language or even recognize their parents.

One of them who spoke to our Correspondent in Igbo language identified herself as Chiamaka Ambrose.

Our Correspondent gathered from police sources that  Chiamaka was abducted at a hospital in Bauchi state by a Doctor who is a member of the syndicate and was sold out to a family in Anambra state who nurtured her from birth until now that she seven years old.

She told our Correspondent that she would not be able to trace or recognize her parents  in Bauchi state.

However, CP Gumel further hinted that 11 kidnappers were also arrested by the police, while two rescued kidnapped victims also showcased to journalists.

According to him, “in addition to combating human trafficking and kidnapping, the Police Command has resolutely tackled the menace of motor vehicle theft through the use of innovative strategies such as the application of technical equipment in surveillance and consistently embarking on more intelligence-led operations.

“On the Command’s tackling of incidences of motor vehicle thefts, you are all witnesses that it has been significantly reduced, leading to the recent dismantling of cross-border motor vehicles armed robbery syndicate of which during the last five days, a total of eleven suspects were arrested, with recovery from them two Revolver pistol and five stolen vehicles.”

He further stated that, “additionally and in a separate operation, another nine suspects were arrested and 39 stolen mobile phones, some stolen motor cycles, 33 ATM cards, and some dangeeous weapons were recovered from them.”