JUST IN: 23 children rescued from suspected Abuja traffickers

Twenty-three children have been rescued from some suspected human traffickers in the Kubwa area of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT Police Command said the children were rescued on Thursday, March 20, from a child trafficking syndicate operating in the guise of an orphanage.

In a statement issued on Saturday, March 22, the command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh said the police received credible intelligence on the operations of the suspects at the Mother Deborah Orphanage in Kubwa.

Adeh said some operatives of the force were deployed to the location where a three-year-old child suspected to have been stolen from her parents in Kaduna was rescued among others.

She noted that the proprietor of the orphanage, Ijeoma Andy was arrested alongside two other suspects.

Stating that the Police are working towards apprehending other members of the child trafficking syndicate, Adeh said an additional 22 children were rescued from the location.

Her words, “Further investigations uncovered a shocking discovery of 22 additional children, aged between two and 14 years (14 females and 8 males), believed to be victims of child trafficking.

“When interrogated, Ijeoma Andy failed to provide a reasonable account of the children’s origins or how they ended up in her facility. The 22 rescued children have since been taken into protective care, where they are receiving the necessary attention,” Adeh said.

She assured that the Nigeria Police in the FCT would not relent in its effort to dismantle criminal networks across Nigeria’s capital city.