Four stolen children have been rescued in Abuja by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), who busted a notorious child trafficking ring known for trafficking in children for begging within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The agency’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Stella Nezan, disclosed this on Monday in a statement titled: ‘NAPTIP busts child trafficking syndicate in Abuja, arrests 30-year-old woman, rescues four children.
According to Nezan, the arrest follows a tip-off from a media partner, who alerted the agency to the activities of the suspect, especially around the popular AYA bus terminal, Abuja.
The operation was said to have led to the arrest of one of the group’s members, Blessing Eze, from whom four stolen children were rescued.
The statement read in part, “A total of four stolen children believed to be from different parents were also recovered from the suspect and many other children are believed to be at large.
“The development represents a major feat in the agency’s drive to curtail the incidence of child trafficking, especially within the nation’s capital.”
The statement added that the agency had launched a manhunt for a suspect, Mama Chioma, from Enugu State, believed to be the major supplier of children to the gang and currently in possession of four more trafficked children.
It added, “Both suspects are said to be engaged in trafficking of children, whose ages range from six months to one year, from different parts of the country to Abuja and using them to solicit alms from unsuspecting members of the public.”
