OPERATIVES of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have foiled a child trafficking attempt and rescued twelve children in Abuja.
The police also arrested three suspects in connection with the crime.
This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday, February 10, by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the FCT Command, Josephine Adeh.
According to her, policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad 74 (RRS 74), on Friday, February 9, intercepted one Muhammad Isah ‘m’ of Kafanchan, Kaduna, in a Toyota Hiace bus with Reg No APP 489 XE, conveying twelve four (4) male and eight (8) female; underaged children to a destination later discovered to be in Ogun state.
She said preliminary investigation revealed that the children, whose ages are between 5 years to 16 years, all from Akwanga LGA, Nasarawa State, are being trafficked to Ogun state by one Simon Kado ‘m’, a pastor and Jesse Simon Kado ‘m’, who are now in police custody.
“While the investigation is still ongoing and efforts in conduit with Nasarawa State Police Command on how to reunite victims with their respective families, the Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, wishes to reiterate that the safety of residents remains his utmost priority.
“He equally urges residents to report suspicious activities through the following emergency lines; 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883; PCB: 09022222352,” the statement added.
Recall that operatives of FCT Police Command arrested armed robbers at an abandoned N4billion healthcare project in the Utako area of Abuja on Wednesday, February 7.
The ICIR revealed how the hospital project remained abandoned ten years after the contracted company, PPC Limited, shabbily executed the project despite gulping over N2 billion.
In a statement signed by the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, Adeh, Police officers attached to Utako Divisional Headquarters, on Wednesday in a coordinated raid operation, arrested six suspected armed robbers in the building already marked a black spot.
“A locally made pistol, two live cartridges, and wraps of substances suspected to be marijuana were recovered from the suspects.
Further investigation about the recovered ammunition led to the arrest of one Yusuf Iliyasu, popularly known as ‘Tablet’, who is an ex-convict and the syndicate leader,” the statement reads.
Conceived in 2008, the Utako District Hospital, now a haven for criminals, was initially designed as a 220-bed facility to provide high-quality healthcare services to FCT residents, particularly those living in the surrounding area.
Surprisingly, the community is not located in a remote area but along the Obafemi Awolowo Road, near the Arab junction in the heart of the FCT.
According to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response received from the Federal Capital Territory Development Administration (FCDA), the project was awarded to M/S Phillips Project Centre Limited at a total cost of N4.26 billion on September 20, 2008.
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