The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 14 children trafficked from Plateau to Lagos State.
The NAPTIP Commandant in Plateau State, Mr. Adole Agada, who handed over the children to the state government on Tuesday in Jos, said they were rescued by its Zonal Command in Ikeja, Lagos.
He added that the children, who are between the ages of 13 and 17, were rescued following intelligence from a credible informant.
The commandant said: “We got a tip that three underage girls were taken from Plateau to Lagos, and we swung into action by contacting relevant stakeholders.
“Our men in Lagos arrested one Amina Sadique, the woman who came to collect the three girls at the park.
“Thorough investigation led to the rescue of these 14 young girls and boys.”
Agada, who decried the rising spate of internal and external trafficking in the state, said the kids were largely used as domestic staff and sales girls and boys in Lagos.
The Plateau State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Caroline Dafur, who received the children on behalf of the state government, described the situation as appalling and worrisome.
Dafur revealed that the event was the third since she assumed office.
“We rescued four Plateau children from Edo, three from Lagos, and now another 14 from Lagos.
“This is an unpleasant situation, and as a government, we will not allow this to continue in the state,” the commissioner stated.