Report by ALIYU LAWAL; Editing by BASIRAT MEMUDU
Niger State Government has received twenty one children who were intercepted on the Nigeria border with Niger Republic while being trafficked to Sudan.
State Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba who stated this while receiving the children on behalf of Niger state Government in Minna, said the children were intercepted enroute Cameroon, Mali, Niger Republic and Sudan.
Comrade Yakubu Garba who explained that the rescued underage children are from Magama Local Government Area of Niger state, however appreciated efforts of the Federal Government, Security Agencies and Human Trafficking Agency for the successful rescue operation.
He maintained that inhuman act has violated Nigeria’s constitution section 34 sub section 1 and section 13 of the the constitution that forbids all forms of trafficking in person in the country.
Responding, one of the parents of the rescued children, Jamilu Usman who identified two of his children Umar Jamilu 6 years and Maruf Jamilu 5 years explained that they gave the authority of their children to go with Malam Abubakar to Niger Republic to acquire Islamic knowledge, stressing that he is the headmaster of Tungan Gari primary school in Magama Local Government Area, with four wives and thirty children who will retire from service in the next five years.
He however added that they were paying thirty five thousand naira per child every month to enable their wards acquire the needed knowledge.