The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it has reunited two children kidnapped in Lafia, Nasarawa State, with their parents after being abducted and sold for adoption in a South-East state and given Igbo names.
Sheriff Umar and Abdullahi Adamu, three-year-olds, lived with their parents in Lafia when a neighbour kidnapped them in May, said the anti-trafficking agency.
We got information from the Civil Defence, and we swing into action, and officials from our department of operations and investigations were able to track some suspects and arrest them,” stated Ms Waziri-Azi. “The arrest of the suspects led to the rescue of Sheriff and Abdullahi. They are young kids, Sheriff and Abdullahi are their birth names, but when they were trafficked across state lines, they were given Igbo names.”
According to her, NAPTIP had received information that 47 kids were adopted from Lafia and sold to different people in Anambra.
She added, “One was given Chigomezu Njoku, and the other was given Chibueze Daniel. This came to fruition through the supports of our sister law enforcement agencies, the police, DSS, NSCDC.”
The NAPTIP boss also disclosed that the suspects would be charged to court.
Ms Waziri-Azi also noted that the evidence on the ground would lead the agency to the cartels.
According to her, “we hope that the way we can track these two kids, we will be able to track more, the agency is working, we are working in partnership with other law enforcement agencies to make sure we succeed.’’
Speaking at the handover ceremony of the children, NAPTIP Director-General, Fatimah Waziri-Azi, noted that the two children were among 47 children reported to have been kidnapped in Nasarawa.