Fourteen children trafficked from Adamawa State and sold in Anambra for sums ranging between ₦800,000 and ₦1.7 million have been rescued by the Adamawa State Government.
On Wednesday, August 20, the children were officially reunited with their parents at a ceremony held in Yola, the state capital.
Deputy Governor Kaletapwa George Farauta revealed that following multiple reports of missing children in July, the government launched a joint operation with security agencies to investigate the disappearances.
The operation led to the arrest of a suspected trafficking kingpin, Ngozi Abdulwahab, who runs a small provision shop in Jambutu Ward, Yola North LGA.
According to Farauta, the suspect allegedly lured children aged 4 to 9 with snacks and gifts before trafficking them to Anambra State
“It is a mixed feeling of sadness and joy, it is sad that today, Adamawa is on the map of an unfortunate monster ravaging the nation, the monster of child trafficking,” she said.
“This is a story we often hear happening far away, but unfortunately, it has caught up with us.
“This notorious trafficker has perfected the art of trafficking minors aged four to nine years from various communities in Adamawa to the south-eastern region of Nigeria.
“There, she sold the victims for paltry sums ranging from N800,000 to N1.7 million per child.
“She operated from a small provision shop which she owned at Jambutu ward, Yola-North LGA, where she used snacks and gifts to lure unsuspecting children.
“Today, we have rescued 14 children and rehabilitated them.”
The deputy governor said the suspects would be prosecuted under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015, Adamawa Child Protection Law (2008), the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2021, and the Penal Code of the state.
