Taiwo Jimoh 
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested a female human trafficker and six others who specialize in the interstate abduction and sale of children.
The suspects, who were apprehended alongside their driver, allegedly steal children from different parts of the country.
The agency’s spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye, said that the arrests were made in collaboration with sister law enforcement agencies.
It would be recalled that the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, upon assuming office in 2024, embarked on targeted advocacy visits to other law enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, and key stakeholders to strengthen cooperation and support in the fight against human trafficking.
One of the suspects, Hasana Jacob, a 33-year-old woman from the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, is an alternate female truck driver for a popular cement company based in Obajana, Kogi State.
She was arrested along with a cement truck branded with the company’s name and logo, alongside six other suspected gang members identified as Aisha Suleiman, Murtala Tanimu, Shamsu Tanimu, Adamu Jacob, Abubakar Ahmed, and Ali Muhammed.
She was arrested in Abuja by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) while attempting to sell their latest victim, a three-year-old girl stolen from Damaturu, Yobe State, to a buyer.
Investigations revealed that Jacob leads a professional human trafficking syndicate that specializes in stealing children aged one year and above and selling them to interested buyers for ₦600,000 per child.
The truck driver believed that working for a well-known cement company would make it easier for her to abduct children at various terminals across the country, evade security checks on the roads, and deliver the stolen children to her gang members undetected.
The syndicate reportedly operates across Nigeria, with each member playing a specific role. Some gang members lure and abduct children, while others coordinate with potential buyers before the stolen children even arrive at the designated terminal.
This process ensures a swift transaction, allowing the gang leader to quickly dispose of the children and collect payment.
NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, commended the Director-General of the DSS for supporting the agency, which ultimately led to the arrest of the notorious trafficking ring.
However, she expressed deep concern over the situation, describing it as a heinous crime against humanity.
“I am deeply saddened by this latest arrest. It is heartbreaking to think that human beings would organize a criminal gang, use a branded company vehicle, travel across the country, steal children from their families, and sell them to unknown buyers.
“They inflict everlasting sorrow on these families while profiting from such an unimaginable act of wickedness. What makes it even more painful is that the mastermind behind this syndicate is a woman—a mother who should understand the pain of losing a child.”
Bello assured Nigerians that NAPTIP has impounded the cement truck used for trafficking, and the suspects are currently in custody, awaiting further investigation and prosecution.
