The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 21 children of Kaduna State origin on their way from Zaria, Kaduna state to Nasarawa State for labour exploitation.
In a statement, NAPTIP Head, Press and Public Relations Unit (PPRU) Stella Nezan said the children whose ages ranged from 6 – 15 years were intercepted at the Bwari area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by military personnel at a military check point.
She stated that the children were cramped in a white coloured old J5 vehicle with registration number Lagos XT 472 GGE without windows.
Nezan said the vehicle according to the suspect was used for carrying tomatoes.
She said by the time the children were rescued, they were weak and tired without face masks and other protective equipment from COVID-19.
Nezan added that the driver of the vehicle, Bala Ibrahim, who is the prime suspect, was being interrogated by the investigators.
Reacting to this, the Director-General, Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim advised parents to be wary of those they leave their children with especially with the menace of trafficking in persons across the world.
She wondered why anybody would allow the children to be moved in such an inhumane condition, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic era.
She pledged that the law would take its course in this matter. (theconclaveng)
