Army, Police Intercept Vehicles Carrying 67 Children

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), have commenced investigation into the incident.

It was learnt that the children, whose ages range between 10 and 14, were intercepted in three different operations by the Army and the police at different locations around Nasarawa state.

In the first interception carried out by the Nigerian Army during a routine check on Friday 20th January, 2017, a total of 22 children were rescued from a suspected child trafficker along the Nasarawa-Abuja road. They were loaded inside a 7-seater Toyota Serena space bus and were said to be heading to Nasarawa from Minna, Niger state.

According to some of the children who could barely speak English, they were allegedly recruited for an Islamic education mission in Nasarawa.

Similarly, the Police in Nasarawa State intercepted another batch of 13 children on Thursday 26th January 2017.

Barely 72 hours after the interception, men of the Nigerian Police Force on routine patrol along the same Abuja–Nasarawa road, intercepted another 18-seater commercial bus loaded with 32 children of the same age bracket as the first case.

All the 67 children are presently at the Shelter of the Agency awaiting the arrival of their parents who have been contacted as parts of the investigation procedure.

Suspected trafficker have been arrested and will be prosecuted according to the law, NAPTIP said.

Recall that on the 16th, January 2017, 145 stolen children being conveyed by two trucks were intercepted by the Plateau State Police Command.