The Niger State Police Command has rescued six children and dismantled a major human trafficking network operating across several communities in the state and the Federal Capital Territory. Among those arrested is a couple allegedly involved in the sale of abducted children.
The breakthrough followed an operation led by officers of the Tafa Division, who intercepted Usman Adamu, 40, of Sabon-Wuse, after he was spotted with four young children around Angwan-Katampe. The children Khalid Ilyasu 7yrs, Sadiq Ilyasu 11yrs, Ahmed Ilyasu 5yrs and Sadiq Idris 5yrs all hail from Sabon-Wuse.
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Residents, shocked by the discovery, attempted to mob the suspect before police intervened and took both him and the children into protective custody.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrest, adding that Adamu confessed during interrogation that he had been directed by an unidentified woman to procure children in exchange for money. The State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, has taken over the case as efforts intensify to identify and apprehend the woman.
In a separate operation, detectives arrested a couple Leonard Ugochukwu, 55, and his wife, Nhozi, 45, residents of Kurudu, Abuja for abducting two children identified as Goodnews Sunday 4yrs and Ummikari Bello 3yrs. Investigations revealed that the children were sold for N1.1 million each, with an additional N100,000 registration fee, amounting to N2.3 million.
The couple claimed they obtained the children from Okpalaye Mathew Ibrahim, a hospital worker in the area. Police say efforts are underway to track down Ibrahim and other accomplices.
The arrests followed the earlier capture of Victoria Ebunoha Chukwumezie, 40, of Nyanya, Abuja, who was found at Diko Junction with three abducted children from Lambata, Niger State. Further investigations linked her activities to multiple trafficking attempts in Tafa, Suleja, and Madalla, eventually leading officers to the Ugochukwu couple’s location.
SP Abiodun assured residents that the command remains relentless in its mission to dismantle child-trafficking syndicates and secure the safe return of victims across the state.
