Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, on Wednesday received seven trafficked children from Kano.
The State Commissioner of Police, Auwal Mohammed, along with top security agencies, handed over the children to the governor at the Government House.
Governor Mohammed commended Kano State’s Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Gumel, for successfully rescuing the stolen kids from Bauchi. He expressed relief that the children were rescued alive and emphasized the need for effective policing.
The governor pledged to provide necessary tools for law enforcement agencies and urged security organizations, as well as those addressing child rights issues, to treat the situation as a wake-up call.
He also extended gratitude to Kano’s Governor Abba Yusuf for reuniting the children with their parents and contributing financially to support them. He challenged the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to intensify efforts and focus its attention on Bauchi State to prevent future occurrences.
He issued a stern warning, stating, “If this barbaric act is not nipped in the bud, it is capable of bringing suspicion and mistrust between the different people in Nigeria.
“It is unacceptable for people to be stolen and be sold, and their gynecology, their linguistics, their faith changed, just because of the money.
“I hope these are the only victims. I hope many others have not been mutilated or killed.”
Expressing concern for the victims, Governor Mohammed hoped that these were the only cases and expressed worry that others might have suffered mutilation or even death.
During the briefing to the governor and his cabinet, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Auwal Mohammed, highlighted the collaboration with Kano authorities in successfully recovering the abducted children.
The commissioner revealed that the abductions occurred before the Bala Mohammed administration, dating back to around 2016, with two additional incidents in 2023.
