By Correspondent in Lokoja.
The Kogi State Government has confirmed the arrest of several suspects linked to the trafficking of underaged children into the state in what authorities suspect may be a covert attempt to recruit minors for banditry training.
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Yagba Area Command, acting in collaboration with other security agencies in Isanlu and working on credible intelligence from community hunters, intercepted a truck conveying 21 children aged between 6 and 17 years into the state around 3:00 p.m. last Friday.
Preliminary findings indicates that the children were brought from various northern states under suspicious circumstances.
The adults accompanying them were unable to present any legitimate explanation for their movement.
In a statement issued on Monday in Lokoja ,the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, confirmed that multiple arrests had been made, including individuals who claimed they were transporting the children to establish an informal “Islamic school” in Yagba East.
Fanwo added that intensified surveillance in the area led to further arrests, with security operatives apprehending additional suspects believed to be connected to the movement of the minors. Some suspects were reportedly found with items raising serious security concerns.
The rescued children have since been transferred to the NSCDC State Command in Lokoja for comprehensive investigation and proper profiling of all parties involved,he said.
According to Fanwo, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has directed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to assume full custody of the children, ensure their safety, and provide psychosocial support ,pending the conclusion of investigations.
“After profiling and verification, the children will be handed over to their respective state governments for further investigation and reintegration with their families. All individuals found culpable will be prosecuted under Kogi State’s Child Trafficking and Child Rights Protection Laws,” Fanwo stated.
He expressed the commitment of the state government to its zero-tolerance stance on child trafficking, criminal infiltration, and all forms of security threats.
Fanwo assured the public that Governor Ododo’s administration will continue to work closely with security agencies and local communities to safeguard every part of the state.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
