The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has thwarted a child trafficking attempt in Abuja, leading to the arrest of four suspects, including a General Overseer of a church.
According to the police, the operation was triggered by a distress call received around 2:00 a.m. from Wazobia Motor Park in Gwagwalada, where a man was reportedly acting suspiciously while trying to travel with a young boy.
Police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, in a statement on Saturday, disclosed that the command’s emergency response team acted swiftly and apprehended one Isreal Ajah, who was attempting to board a vehicle bound for Owerri, Imo State, with a seven-year-old boy.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the child had been handed over to Isreal by his elder brother, identified as Rev. Pastor Prince Bassey Ajah, the General Overseer of the Wells of Salvation Church, situated in the Byazhin area of Abuja,” Adeh said.
Further investigations led to the arrest of the pastor and two other accomplices, identified as Nancy Atoo and Deaconess Vera Duru.
During a follow-up search of Nancy Atoo’s residence, the police discovered another child, a four-year-old girl referred to as “Mercy,” a name given to her by the suspects. The child, who had no identification documents, has been placed in protective custody while efforts are ongoing to trace her biological parents.
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“The suspects confessed that both children were being trafficked to Owerri for sale,” Adeh continued. “One of the children, Muktar Hassan, was to be sold for ₦1.2 million, with Deaconess Duru reportedly facilitating the transaction.”
The boy, Muktar, has since been reunited with his family.
Commending the quick-thinking staff of the motor park and the prompt police response, the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Benneth Igweh, urged parents and guardians to be more vigilant.
“Parents should not entrust young children with errands or allow them to travel alone. It is our collective responsibility to protect our children from predators,” the commissioner said.
The suspects remain in custody as investigations continue, with the police assuring the public that justice will be served.
