A suspected kingpin of child trafficking and labour syndicate, who usually brought under-aged children from the northern part of Nigeria to Lagos State has been arrested by the Police Command after three months of intelligence gathering.
Penpushing reports that the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command Benjamin Hundeyin, made this known explaining that the syndicate in addition engaged in other illegal activities against children.
The police spokesperson disclosed that at about 5.45 p.m., a 45-year-old leader of the syndicate, one Alimot Haruna of Molete Village, Ilorin, was on January 25, 2024 arrested by detectives from Ijora Badia Police Division, who had monitored her movements.
“In the process, three underaged children, two females and one male, whose names could not be ascertained- between ages 7 and 12, of no fixed address, were rescued from her’, the statement emphasised.
‘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’, Hundeyin stated.
‘It was also revealed that the suspect had been declared wanted by the Kwara State Police Command in connection with many underaged children that have disappeared, which have been linked to her syndicate’, he said.
Penpushing further reports that the police spokesperson added that the Kwara State Police Command was contacted and confirmed that they had recovered some of the children, remaining only 11, stressing that the suspect during interrogation mentioned places she kept the other children.
‘Their current custodians were contacted and they admitted having the children. While awaiting operatives from Kwara State Police Command Anti-Trafficking Unit to come and harmonise the case, efforts are on to rescue the remaining eight children’, he said.
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