The Department of State Services (DSS), in collaboration with the Kano Hisbah Board, has successfully uncovered and dismantled a child trafficking network in the state.
Kano Hisbah personnel arrested a 17-year-old girl and rescued a 4-year-old named Aisha, who had been abducted from Nguru in Yobe State. The arrest of the teenager led to further investigation by the DSS, resulting in the capture of her alleged sponsor.
The DSS in Kano reported that Hisbah officials handed over Aisha to them after detaining the teenager who had been holding the child captive on Tuesday. The 17-year-old, whose identity is withheld, was detained due to suspicions about her involvement with the child.
Following the handover, the DSS was able to identify and apprehend the mastermind behind the trafficking operation.
“We have successfully arrested the key figure involved in the abduction of children from neighboring states to Kano, who then sold them in the southern region where they are harder to trace,” the DSS stated.
During interrogation, the teenage girl revealed that she had been introduced to the trafficking scheme by a man who sold groundnuts near her residence. He persuaded her to abduct Aisha, assuring her of no repercussions. The kingpin admitted that Aisha’s kidnapping was the third such operation he had orchestrated from Nguru.
“I typically collect the abducted children and pay the abductors in Kano before proceeding with my partners,” the kingpin confessed. He also acknowledged being part of a cartel that traffics children across state lines.
(Leadership)