Security agencies in Kogi State have rescued twenty one underage children who were allegedly being trafficked into the state for what authorities suspect was a covert recruitment exercise linked to banditry training. The children, whose ages range from 6 to 17, were intercepted in Yagba East local government area following credible intelligence.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, disclosed the development in a statement released on Tuesday.
According to him, the operation took place around 3 o’clock in the afternoon on December 5 when operatives of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps in the Yagba Area Command, working with other security outfits in Isanlu and guided by information supplied by community hunters, halted a truck conveying the children into the state.
Fanwo said initial findings showed the minors had been moved from several northern states under suspicious circumstances. Adults accompanying them were unable to give lawful reasons for transporting the children.
Several suspects have already been taken into custody. Some claimed they were bringing the children to establish an informal Islamic learning center in Yagba East. Further surveillance in the axis led to additional arrests, during which operatives reportedly recovered items considered to pose security concerns.
The rescued children have been transferred to the NSCDC Command in Lokoja for comprehensive profiling and further investigation.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has directed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to assume full responsibility for the welfare of the minors, including psycho-social support, while investigations continue. Once profiling is completed, the children will be handed over to the governments of their home states for further inquiry and eventual reintegration with their families.
Fanwo emphasized that anyone found liable for the trafficking operation will be prosecuted under Kogi State’s Child Trafficking and Child Rights Protection Laws.
He reaffirmed the state government’s firm position against child trafficking, criminal infiltration and all forms of security threats. The statement added that the Ododo administration will continue to partner with security agencies and local communities to safeguard every community in the state.
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