- He was responding to the recent repatriation of 39 children originally trafficked from Plateau State to Abuja
The Plateau State government has pledged to take firm action against anyone involved in child trafficking across its 17 Local Government Areas.
Speaking to Punch in Jos on Thursday, the State Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms, warned that such criminal activities would not be tolerated.
He was responding to the recent repatriation of 39 children originally trafficked from Plateau State to Abuja and other parts of the country.
Ashoms revealed that security agents had apprehended some members of the trafficking cartel and that investigations were ongoing. While 39 children have been returned to their families, three remain unaccounted for.
“There is a cartel in Plateau State that collaborates with parents to traffic their children to Abuja and other parts of the country. We currently have a woman from Barkin Ladi LGA and some of her accomplices in custody. It’s worrying that three of the children are still missing, and we don’t know whether they were sold or not,” Ashoms said.
The Commissioner described the activities of the child traffickers as “wicked,” citing the sale of a male child for N200,000 and a female child for N150,000.
“In some cases, parents even signed agreements not to pursue their children after handing them over to traffickers. We found children as young as four and eight in so-called orphanages while their parents are still alive,” he said.
Ashoms called on religious leaders, traditional institutions, and other stakeholders to help tackle the problem. He also urged parents to take responsibility for their children’s upbringing and not to entrust them to strangers, as that could expose them to trafficking risks.