Parents of nine trafficked children in Bauchi State have made a desperate appeal to Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed and his wife, Aisha Bala Mohammed, to intervene urgently and help rescue their children who were abducted 11 years ago.
The distressed parents, Turaki Dansa, Chawa Dangaladima Turaki, Kori Guyina, Shehu Shanaki, Bawa Turaki, Adamu Shamaki, and Awal Musa—voiced their plea at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Press Center while speaking to journalists.
Speaking on behalf of the parents, Musa Kwana, the traditional ruler of their community, said without the intervention of the Governor and his wife, they might never see their children again.
The missing children, all from Miya Village in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, include Sangi Turaki, Cikawa Turaki, Danjuma Turaki, Yangawa Dogo Talangu, Bebi Bawa, Jumolo Dangaladima, Kangaya Kori, Jummai Adamu, and Alti Shehu.
The parents revealed that a total of ₦470,000 had been extorted from them under the guise of efforts to rescue the children.
“What started as a matter of religious trust has turned into a heartbreaking betrayal and a well-planned act of crime,”; they lamented.
Musa Kwana explained, “We have done everything humanly possible since the incident occurred in 2014, but all efforts have yielded no results. Now, we are calling on the Governor and his wife to step in and wipe our tears. We just want to see our children again.”;
He confirmed that three of the trafficked children had been rescued in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where they had been sold. They are currently in the custody of NAPTIP.
However, the whereabouts of the remaining six remain unknown.
“We traveled to Port Harcourt and spent four days there, but we were not allowed to see the children. We don’t understand what is happening. The police are not being transparent with us. We strongly believe that once the Governor intervenes, things will change,”; he added.
The spokesperson further expressed concerns that while one suspect is currently in Bauchi State Police Command’s custody, the others remain at large.
He urged Governor Bala Mohammed and his wife to take immediate action, as they had done in previous cases, to rescue and reunite them with their children.
