Police rescue six children ‘trafficked’ from Kwara to Lagos

The Lagos police command says six children trafficked from Kwara have been rescued in the state.

Benjamin Hundeyin, police spokesperson in Lagos, said members of a human trafficking syndicate are operating from Kwara state.

“A source, whose name I will not mention, but who has been assisting the Ijora Badia Police division in Lagos helped in rescuing the additional six children illegally trafficked to Lagos state,” NAN quoted Hundeyin as saying.

“The source brought the children to the police as promised on Tuesday at about 12.00 p.m.

“The children rescued (names withheld) were between ages 8 years and 14 years.”

Hundeyin said the Ijora Badia police division received 12 children on January 29.

He said Alice Leramo, officer in charge of the anti-human trafficking unit of Kwara police command, promised to send an investigation team to Lagos to receive the children.

“All together, 18 trafficked underage children from Kwara have been rescued in Lagos, and handed over to the anti-trafficking unit of Kwara command,” he said.

He said the syndicate is notorious for trafficking underage children from the north to Lagos.

“On Jan. 25, a 45-year-old leader of the syndicate, Alimot Haruna of Molete village, Ilorin, (now in Kwara police command custody), was arrested by detectives from the Ijora Badia police division in Lagos,” he added.

“The division had been monitoring her movements.

“In the process, three underage children – two females and one male – whose names could not be ascertained between ages 7 years and 12 years of no fixed address, were rescued from her.

“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had illegally brought 42 children to Lagos state for child labour without the consent of their parents.

“It was also revealed that the suspect had been declared wanted by the Kwara state police command in connection with the disappearance of many underage children, which had been linked to her syndicate.”