News Investigators/ The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, on Tuesday, handed over to the Niger State government 21 trafficked minors in Abuja.
The victims, all boys, between the ages of 9 years and 16 years, were being trafficked to Niger Republic, before their rescue.
During the handing over exercise, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu-Bello, explained that the boys were intercepted at the border by officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Feb. 2.
She said that the investigation conducted by NAPTIP revealed that the victims were on their way to Islamic School in Niger Republic.
“It was only last night we put a call through and we were able to get to Gov. Umar Bago,” she said.
“Our enquiry about Islamic Schools in Niger State shows they have a lot of them.
“Why then going to Niger Republic, if they have such schools in Niger state,” the D-G queried.
She implored the Niger State government to counsel parents to register their children in Islamic Schools in the state.
The NAPTIP boss also advised the parents of the rescued children to also register them in formal schools for them to benefit from both Western and Islamic education.
Receiving the Children on-behalf the Niger State government, Ahmed Suleiman-Yumu, the Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management, appreciated NAPTIP for the swift move to reunite the children with their families.
Mr Suleiman-Yumu pledged to pass all the advice of the NAPTIP D-G to the state governor, and commended the agency for the job well done.
NAN