Kebbi State has seen the reunion of nine trafficked children with their families through the efforts of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
Under the guise of attending school in Gusau, Zamfara State, the children were fraudulently abducted from their parents by human traffickers in the Zuru Emirate of Kebbi South and sold into slavery in Calabar, Cross River State.
Dr. Nasir Idris, the governor of Kebbi State, received the children formally on Friday at Government House in Birnin Kebbi.
Governor Idris proclaimed his administration’s commitment to ending child trafficking in the state during the handover and denounced the horrible deed.
In order to prevent future offenders, he emphasized the significance of pursuing the offenders.
“This administration will not tolerate any act of illegality, especially one as despicable as the trafficking of our innocent children. Those responsible for this crime must face the full wrath of the law,” the governor said.
He emphasized the importance of valuing and protecting children and asked parents to assume more responsibility for their upbringing.
“Parents must stand firm in their duty to train and mentor their children, ensuring they grow into responsible citizens,” he added.
Earlier in his speech, Mas’ud Kaura, the NAPTIP State Commander for Kebbi, gave an overview of the case, stating that the children were first trafficked from Kebbi to Zamfara State and then to Calabar.
“The agent behind the trafficking has been arrested, and the case remains under investigation,” Kaura stated.
“We have made arrests, and investigations are ongoing. The culprits will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”