September 9, 2024

Sixteen children believed to be victims of trafficking have been rescued from their abductors in the Osuoha area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The incident went viral when a social media video appeared to show them. It surfaced on the internet with a request for good Samaritans to assist in locating the parents of the children.

Channels Television reports that, though the Rivers State Police Command has yet to comment on the matter, and messages sent to the Public Relations Officer have not yet been responded to, our correspondent’s investigations have shed some light on the matter.

According to a highly placed police source who pleads anonymity because he is not authorised to speak on the matter, there was commotion at a compound in Ozuoba when two women, suspected to be members of a human trafficking ring were arrested by plainclothes operatives yet to be identified security agency.

The women had hitherto been guardians of the children until they were arrested.

The children caused a melée in the aftermath and the ensuing commotion led to the Divisional Police Officer of the Ozuoba division, who took all of them into custody.

Our correspondent however gathered that they were moved from Ozuoba Police Station, to the CP Monitoring Unit at the Old GRA Police Station where they are under protective custody of the police.

Interestingly, at the time of filing this report, the police are still trying to ascertain the whereabouts of both women and who arrested them.

In total, 16 children have been recovered and their ages range from 5 to 16 years. Nine of them are girls, with 7 being boys.

This is not the first time the Rivers State Police Command has been involved in child trafficking cases in the state.