In a major crackdown on human trafficking, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), has dismantled an interstate child trafficking syndicate, arresting its female kingpin, Hasana Jacob, and six accomplices.
Jacob, a 33-year-old truck driver for a prominent cement company in Obajana, Kogi State, was apprehended alongside her gang members in Abuja while attempting to sell a three-year-old girl abducted from Damaturu, Yobe State.
Investigations revealed that Jacob used her position as a truck driver to transport stolen children across Nigeria, evading security checks.
She allegedly ran a well-structured trafficking network that specialized in abducting children from various locations and selling them for N600,000 each.
Authorities suspect that the syndicate had members nationwide, with some tasked with luring children to truck terminals, while others secured buyers before victims even arrived.
This system ensured quick transactions and minimized the risk of exposure.
Reacting to the arrest, NAPTIP Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, described the syndicate’s activities as “unimaginable wickedness against humanity.”
“It is painful to see a criminal gang using a branded company vehicle to steal children and sell them to unknown buyers.
This creates everlasting sorrow for families while traffickers profit from their crimes,” she said.
Bello, represented by NAPTIP’s Director of Research and Programme Development, Josiah Emerole, expressed gratitude to the DSS for its collaboration and called for stronger inter-agency efforts to combat human trafficking.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the 22-tire cement truck used in the illicit operation has been impounded by NAPTIP, while investigations continue to uncover other members of the syndicate and potential victims.
Authorities have vowed to intensify their crackdown on human traffickers, urging Nigerians to report suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies.
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