A 45-year-old Alimot Haruna has been taken into custody by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly smuggling 42 northern children into Lagos without their parents’ consent.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Alimot intended to compel all 42 children into child labour and trafficking.
It was also learnt that the incident occurred on January 25 at about 5:45 pm.
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A police source told our correspondent that the three underage children, two females and one male whose name could not be confirmed, were rescued by detectives while monitoring her movements.
The source added that the suspect had been declared wanted by the Kwara State Police Command about numerous missing underage children who were connected to her dictatorship adding that the command’s anti-human trafficking unit confirmed that they had recovered some of the children, leaving only 11 yet to be found.
The Kwara State Command has issued a wanted list for the suspect in relation to numerous missing minors who are associated with her network. After being contacted, the Kwara State Police Command’s anti-human trafficking squad reported that some of the 11 remaining children had been found.
The source further stated that the suspect had admitted and provided the addresses where the children were kept as well as the names of the parents.
“She mentioned places she kept the other children whose current custodians were contacted and they admitted.
When contacted on Sunday, the state Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hudeyin, said efforts were being made to save the eight remaining children noting that updates on their progress would be communicated.
“Efforts are on to rescue the remaining eight children. Further developments shall be communicated.”
Last year, PUNCH Metro reported that the Kano State Police Command had arrested nine suspects who allegedly specialised in inter-state trafficking, abduction, buying, and selling of minors.
The Kano State Police Command reportedly detained nine criminals last year who were allegedly experts in kidnapping, interstate trafficking, buying, and selling kids, according to a PUNCH Metro article.
Usaini Gumel, the commissioner of state police, clarified that the suspects were taken into custody following a number of intelligence-driven operations that identified and broke up the long-running cycle of interstate trafficking syndicates that were dormant in the states of Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Lagos, Delta, Anambra, and Imo.