Operatives of the Kano State Hisbah Board have rescued 16 underage girls from suspected human traffickers at the luxury bus station in Unguwa Uku, Kano.
The victims, all female and minors were reportedly en route Lagos from where they would be trafficked to Benin Republic and Ghana.
Speaking on the operation, Hisbah Deputy Commandant, Mujahid Aminuddeen Abubakar said, “Our men at the motor park were able to intercept individuals attempting to traffic underage girls. From Ghana, they would have been issued fake passports and sent to other Arab countries. Tragically, some would die, others would be sold, forced into prostitution, or subjected to slavery.”
Abubakar revealed that the girls, who appeared unaware of the dangers, all hail from the Northern part of Nigeria, with nine of them from Kano, four from Katsina, two from Jigawa, and one from Borno States.
The Deputy Commandant urged parents to prioritise their children’s safety and avoid exposing them to such dangers in the interest of financial gains.
“Parents must be more vigilant. Allowing children to be trafficked is a modern form of slavery, and it comes with devastating consequences,” he warned.
