An NGO, the Protection Against the Abduction and Missing of Our Children (PATAMOC), has called for urgent action by security agencies to locate 600 trafficked children from Kano.
The Chairman of PATAMOC, Mr Ismaila Ibrahim-Muhammad, made the call n while briefing newsmen on Wednesday in Kano.
Ibrahim-Muhammad was reacting to the announcement by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) that it rescued eight children suspected of being trafficked from Kano and other Northern states to the South-South and Eastern regions of Nigeria.
”We wrote a petition to NAPTIP on Dec. 15, 2022, over the disappearance of more than 600 children allegedly abducted from Kano since 2010 and trafficked to some southern states.
”Following the petition, NAPTIP conducted an operation in Delta on June 15. We commend NAPTIP and the Kano State Government for coordinating the rescue operation.
“However, we are still searching for over 600 of our children whose whereabouts remain unknown.
”We call on NAPTIP and other security agencies to intensify investigations to ensure that the remaining trafficked children are rescued,” he said.
The chairman said that many affected parents were in deep distress, with some already hospitalised or dead due to the trauma of losing their children.
He appealed to relevant authorities, especially lawmakers, to set up a strong committee to investigate the matter and ensure justice for the victims.