January 06 (THEWILL) Kano Emirate Council has condemned the spate of kidnapping and selling of children from some parts of the North to the southern part of the country, describing the trend as unacceptable.
THEWILL recalls that the Kano State Police Command recently said it had dismantled a human trafficking syndicate that specialised in the abduction, buying and selling of minors.
The Command said it had arrested nine members of the syndicate, which was operating around Kano, Bauchi, Lagos, Delta, Anambra and Imo states.
It also said that it had rescued seven children, mostly from Bauchi state, from the syndicate.
In a news conference organised by the Kano State branch of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), in Kano on Saturday, the Emirate decried the act and said, “It must stop.”
Speaking on behalf of the Emir of Kano at the event, Dan Malikin Kano, Ambassador Ahmad Umar, said the Emirate would not condone the abduction and trading of children in the state.
Umar said the situation had gone out of hand, such that proactive action must be taken to check it.
“This ugly trend must stop. We have to rise up against it. We will no longer condone a situation whereby our children are kidnapped, and sold and their tribe and religion are changed.
“This illicit act must stop. We have to rise up to check the situation as it is getting out of hand. The situation cannot stop itself, it is we that will make it stop. It happened a few years ago and now it has happened again. Only God knows how many of our children are kidnapped now,” he said.
In their remarks also, Sarkin Shanun Kano, and Shehu Muhammad, described the situation as disturbing and urged that the perpetrators be punished to serve as a deterrent to others.
“Kano, for hundreds of years, has been welcoming visitors and taking them as its sons and daughters, but recently we have seen a disturbing and unfortunate incident of rescuing children trafficked to Lagos through Kano.
“The Emir has expressed serious disappointment of Kano and northern Nigeria over the incident and wants to see a lasting solution to the problem,” he said.
In his remarks, the leader of the Igbo community in Kano, Eze Ndigbo, Boniface Igbekwe, also condemned the act and called on authorities to bring the perpetrators to book.
Represented by Prime Minister of the Igbo Community, Chief Nwaimo Efanyi, Igbekwe said the Igbo community had received the news of the kidnapped children rescued by the Police with shock and disbelief.
He said the entire Igbo community in Kano had dissociated themselves from the suspects and any kind of heinous acts committee in their name, stressing that they were always committed to living peacefully with the people of their host community.
“We condemn the act in its entirety in whatever guise and call for punishment of the perpetrators. We Igbos dissociate ourselves from this criminality. We call for peace with one another”, he said
The Eze Ndigbo commended the Kano State Police Command for dismantling the syndicate and rescuing the victims, urging it not to rest on its oars until all kidnapped children were rescued.
Earlier, the Chairman of the state branch of the ACF, Dr Gwani Faruk Umar, thanked Governor Abba Yusuf and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed for their commitment and support to the victims and their parents.
“Our call is to Police to double up their efforts in searching and bursting these criminal gangs. We really commend the Police for this breakthrough. We thank them immensely.
“Our call is also to the judiciary. They should fear God. At times these suspects would be charged in court by Police but later on you see them released and moving freely. We therefore call on the judiciary to be diligent and ensure the perpetrators face the wrath of the law.
“To legislatures, we urge you to make robust legislation against this act of kidnapping and abduction of people. All hands must be on deck to check this ugly trend”, Umar added.
About the Author
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
