Niger Receives 21 Trafficked Children

Out of the 21 trafficked children that were rescued, two kids of a Primary School Teacher, Umaru Jamilu, said he willingly gave them to be taken outside the country.

About 30 children were taken from Niger State, Nigeria, to the Niger Republic.

21 of them were abducted from the Magama local government area of Niger State and allegedly trafficked through Gaidam, Yobe state, en route to Cameroon, Mali but were rescued.

LEADERSHIP reported that the children of the average age of nine years were intercepted by security agents and were rescued and handed over to Niger State Deputy Governor Comrade Yakubu Garba.

The Deputy Governor, while receiving the children on behalf of the Niger state government, confirmed that they were intercepted in Gaidam, Yobe state, en route to Cameroon, Mali and Niger Republic.

He appreciated the security agencies and human trafficking agencies for the rescue of the children, saying that such crimes negate common brotherhood and that the government would do everything possible to protect children against all forms of trafficking, violence, oppression, injustice and other forms of inhuman treatment.

He reminded all those involved that the act violated Nigerian constitution section 34 subsection 1 and section 13 of the constitution that forbids all forms of trafficking in person in the country.

In a swift twist, the parents of two rescued children, Jamilu Usman, agreed that he gave his children to one Malam Abubakar to learn the Quran.

He said his two children Umar Jamilu 6 years, and Maruf Jamilu, 5 years, were willingly given to  Malam Abubakar,  a well-known person to them who studied in the Niger Republic.

He explained that he is the headmaster of Tungan Gari primary school in Magama local government, with four wives and 30 children, and will retire from service in the next five years.