A notorious child trafficking syndicate that has been operating across various states in Nigeria has been dismantled following a joint operation by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Department of State Services (DSS).
In a statement released on Tuesday, NAPTIP’s Chief Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed that the traffickers were arrested while attempting to sell a three-year-old girl stolen from Damaturu, Yobe State.
The operation led to the arrest of 33-year-old Hasana Jacob, a truck driver for a prominent cement company based in Obajana, Kogi State. Jacob was apprehended alongside six accomplices: Aisha Suleiman, Murtala Tanimu, Shamsu Tanimu, Adamu Jacob, Abubakar Ahmed, and Ali Muhammed.
Investigations revealed that the syndicate specialized in kidnapping children aged one and above and transporting them undetected using a branded 22-tyre cement truck.
“The report indicates that because Hasana is a truck driver with this popular cement company, it was very easy for her to steal children at any of the terminals across the country, evade security checks on the roads, and deliver such stolen children to her gang members at any location without being noticed,” Adekoye stated.
Authorities believe the syndicate had a widespread network of recruiters and buyers, making it easier to locate victims and sell them to waiting customers.
“It is strongly suspected the syndicate has membership across the country with different roles.
“While some members of the trafficking ring hunt and lure victims to the truck terminal where they will be picked up by Hasana others arrange interested buyers at any of the terminals across the country even before the arrival of the victim, thereby making it fast for the gang leader to dispose of the stolen child and collect her money,” he added.
Reports indicate that stolen children were sold for up to N600,000 each.
Expressing shock over the crime, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Bello, strongly condemned the trafficking operation, especially the role played by Jacob.
“I am deeply saddened by the latest arrest. It is painful to note that human beings will organise a criminal gang, use a branded vehicle of a company, move from one part of the country to another, steal children belonging to other families, and sell them to interested buyers whose motives for the children are not known,” she stated.
“They create everlasting sorrow and pain for those families and smile to the bank after selling those children.
“This is unimaginable and it is a condemnable act of wickedness. This is more painful when the arrowhead of this evil syndicate is a woman who knows the pain of motherhood.”
Bello expressed appreciation for the DSS and called on other security agencies and stakeholders to reinforce efforts in combating child trafficking across the country.
Meanwhile, the cement truck used in the illicit operation has been seized, and further investigations are underway.