The Lagos State Police Command has successfully rescued five more children from a suspected human trafficking ring that was operating between Kwara and Lagos States.
Confirming the rescue operation, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the command, informed the pathwaynews on Monday that the rescued children had been reunited with their families.
The apprehension of the suspected kingpin of the child trafficking and labor syndicate on January 28 was the culmination of three months of intelligence gathering by the Police Command.
Hundeyin previously disclosed to pathwaynews that the syndicate specialized in transporting underage children from northern Nigeria to Lagos State for exploitative labor and other illicit activities.
He elaborated that on January 25, detectives from Ijora Badia Police Division arrested a 45-year-old leader of the syndicate, identified as Alimot Haruna of Molete Village, Ilorin. This operation led to the rescue of three underage children, two females, and one male, aged between 7 and 12, who were found in her custody.
Upon interrogation, Haruna confessed to the crime, revealing that she had illegally brought 42 children to Lagos State for labor purposes without parental consent. Investigations also uncovered that the suspect was wanted by the Kwara State Police Command in connection with several cases of missing underage children linked to her syndicate.
Further collaboration with the Kwara State Police Command resulted in the recovery of some of the children, although 11 others remained unaccounted for. Through continued interrogation, Haruna disclosed the whereabouts of the remaining children, leading to their retrieval by their custodians.
Currently, efforts are underway to rescue the remaining eight children, with five already successfully rescued. The police remain committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children involved in this trafficking operation.
