NSCDC arrests 2 suspects for alleged trafficking of 16 children

The Taraba Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has arrested two suspects who were attempting to traffic 16 children.

The suspects were arrested on Thursday at Jalingo main park and the 16 children were on their way to Benin in Edo.

The NSCDC State Commander, Adamu Salihu, told journalists on Saturday in Jalingo that the suspects were named Daniel Madin and Federation Markus.

Salihu said the victims, aged between 10 and 16, five girls and 11 boys, were taken from Zing and Bali local government areas of the state.

The commander said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were part of a larger syndicate that specialized in trafficking underage children with the promise of a better future in Edo.

However, he said such children were often forced to perform dehumanizing work and the proceeds of that work were confiscated by their handlers.

Salihu denounced the rate at which parents abdicate the responsibility of raising their children, opting to hand them over to strangers for a pittance.

“How can you give birth to children and expect others to take responsibility for their food, clothing, education and general well-being?

“The majority of children taken out of the state are sold into child labor and prostitution, while others are used as materials for baby factories, organ harvesting and monetary rituals.

“My concern is that all the victims of this heinous crime are school children, but forced to drop out of school by their parents and relatives even now that the Taraba Government has made basic education free and compulsory for all children “, said. .

“This trend must be stopped immediately,” the commander added, calling on stakeholders in the state to take appropriate measures to end the rising trend of human trafficking.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suspects and the 16 children were handed over to officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, for further investigation and prosecution. (YAYA)