Police Arrest 12 Suspects For Stealing And Selling 45 Children

Police arrest suspected child traffickers who are connected to the theft and sale of 45 children in Nasarawa state.

The suspects were paraded on Friday, February 16, 2024, alongside 57, others at the Police Command Headquarters in Lafia for various crimes in the state.

Briefing newsmen, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Shehu Umar Nadada, said:

“On 10/01/2024 at about 1320hrs, Police operatives attached to Keffi Division on routine patrol sighted an ongoing mob action and went in to rescue the victim,” he stated.

Upon enquiry, it was discovered that the man, Ismaila Adamu, abducted a 5yrs old boy at Tsohon Kasuwa, Keffi. He was immediately arrested and taken to hospital for treatment while the child was rescued.

“The suspect confessed to being a member of a syndicate that specialized in stealing children and selling them to the highest bidders.

“Furthermore, the investigation was expanded by the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit and that led to the arrest of the following suspects namely: Hassana Jacob ‘F’ 30yrs, Elishua Idoko ‘F’ 43yrs, Gloria Ene ‘F’ 38yrs, Abdulkarim Abubakar ‘M’ 52yrs, Ramatu Ibrahim ‘F’ 41yrs, Victoria Cosmos ‘F’ 52yrs, Eforma Sunday ‘F’41yrs, Dorcas Ologbo ‘F’ 50yrs and Sherifat Amuda ‘F’ 45yrs.

“Analysis conducted on the phones of the suspects revealed that forty five (45) children stolen have been sold and illegally adopted by unsuspecting members of the public across the country.

“The suspects have confessed to the theft and selling of so many children at different prices ranging from N350,000 to N1,500,000 depending on their age and gender.

“The suspects further stated that they steal and sell the children by conspiring with Social Welfare officers of some ministries; where they produce fake documents and sell the children to willing buyers.

“So far, six (6) children have been rescued in Abuja, Ondo and Lagos State respectively. Effort is ongoing to arrest more suspects involved in the commission of the crime and recover more of the stolen children,” Nadada added. [CONTINUE READING HERE]