The police in Kano have arrested nine suspected interstate human traffickers who kidnap minors in northern Nigeria, changed their names, and sold them in the Southeast.
The state Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, revealed this when he paraded the suspects at the Bompai command’s headquarters on Thursday.
He said the suspects were caught following several intelligence-led operations through which the long time cycle of interstates trafficking syndicates hibernating around Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Lagos, Delta, Anambra, and Imo states were identified and dismantled.
Gumel said seven victims, who are mostly minors, were rescued from the suspects.
“It was through diligent investigations by our dedicated team of officers that the operation of these criminal networks that have been in existence for more than 10 years were identified,” he said.
The commissioner said some of the rescued children aged between three and eight rescued were sold at between N300,000 and N600,000 depending on their ages.
“It was discovered during investigations that a victim, Mohammed Ilya, who was abducted from Bauchi but his name changed to Chidebere was sold recently at Nnewi in Anambra State,” Gumel said. He said the command would collaborate with the state government to ensure that all the abducted children were safely returned and reunited with their original family members.
He assured the public that the police had put in place security measures to end the menace once and for all.
