By Njoku Chijioke
Thirteen children abducted from Kaduna have been rescued by police operatives in Enugu, following a coordinated effort to bust a trafficking ring that moved the victims across states.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for the Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, Rabi Salisu, confirmed the development on Saturday while speaking with journalists.
She revealed that the traffickers initially moved the children through Abuja before transporting them to Enugu.
Tragically, among the rescued was a child taken as a newborn and now seven years old.
“One of the abducted children was stolen when the child was just seven days old. Today, that child is seven years old,” Salisu disclosed.
The commissioner added that the children were unable to identify their locations, as the traffickers had changed their names from Hausa to other names in an apparent bid to conceal their identities.
Salisu assured that the state authorities are determined to reunite the children with their families.
“The government will do everything humanly possible to ensure that all the children are reunited with their family members,” she vowed.
The rescued children are currently under the care of the government at a special facility, where they are receiving psychosocial counselling, nutritional support, and medical attention as part of an emergency intervention programme.
The rescue has sparked renewed calls for vigilance and stronger action against child trafficking networks operating across the country.
