The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has busted a child trafficking syndicate along Calabar-Itu Road in the Itu Local Government Area of the state and has rescued at least 12 children in the process.
Tina Ugwu, the NAPTIP Zonal Head in charge of Akwa Ibom, who disclosed this in Uyo, said that the rescued 12 children were between the ages of three and nine years.
According to Ugwu, the NAPTIP operatives also arrested three suspects during the raid.
She said the raid was jointly carried out by NAPTIP intelligence and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), following a tip-off.
Ugwu further disclosed that NAPTIP’s intelligence officials were on the trail of a six-year-old girl sold by the syndicate to a customer in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, who resold her to another buyer in Imo State, Daily Post reports.
She noted that her men were on the hunt for other suspected traffickers in the ring who stole a newborn baby from the mother and sold it to buyers.
Ugwu added that two suspects in her custody along with the mother were cooperating with NAPTIP and providing useful information on the crimes.
Ugwu was quoted as saying, “Two of the recovered victims were sold outright and we are yet to recover the six-year-old girl sold to somebody in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, who later sold her to another person in Imo State.
“My men have gone to Rivers State to effect the arrest of the suspect, and my men are still on the trail of the Imo suspect including Abia because they are virtually in all states.”
