Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State on Wednesday reunited 14 abducted children with their families after they were rescued from traffickers in Anambra State.
Speaking during the official handover ceremony at Government House, Yola, Fintiri, represented by his deputy, Prof. Kaletapwa Farauta, narrated how the combined efforts of security agencies led to the rescue of the children and the arrest of the suspected kidnap kingpin, identified as Ngozi Abdulwahab, a middle-aged woman of Igbo extraction.
The governor explained that intelligence reports in July 2025 revealed a string of missing children, mostly minors, which prompted swift action by security operatives including the police, the Department of State Services, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“This notorious trafficker perfected the art of trafficking minors aged four to 9 years from various communities in Adamawa State to the South-East, where she sold the victims for paltry sums ranging from N800,000 to N1.7m per child,” Farauta said on behalf of the governor.
The suspect allegedly operated from a small provision shop at Jambutu ward in Yola North Local Government Area, where she lured unsuspecting children with snacks and gifts.
Farauta described the crime as “monstrous and traumatic,” vowing that the culprits would be brought to justice.
“We have ordered the immediate prosecution of the suspects under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, the Adamawa State Child Protection Law (2008), the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2021, and the Penal Code of Adamawa State,” she declared.
She warned parents against negligence and urged them not to send children under the age of 10 on errands or to school unaccompanied.
“I welcome you to a mixed feeling of sadness and joy. It is sad that Adamawa State has now appeared on the map of an unfortunate monster which has been ravaging the nation—the monster of child trafficking. This is an infamous story we used to hear from far away. Unfortunately, it has caught up with us,” the governor said.
She also delivered Governor Fintiri’s message of zero tolerance for child trafficking:
“The message of His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to human traffickers and their accomplices is clear: Adamawa State is the wrong place to come to. We shall flush them out, dismantle their networks, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Our citizens are our most cherished assets and must never be turned into commodities of trade.”
Each of the 14 families whose children were rescued received N100,000 cash support as well as food and non-food items to cushion the impact of their ordeal and help set up small businesses.
The deputy governor appealed to parents to be more vigilant and responsible in caring for their children, describing them as “sacred blessings from God.”
“To parents across the state, I call on you to take parenting more seriously. Children are sacred blessings from God, and we must treat them with the responsibility they deserve,” she urged.
She further encouraged members of the public to report suspicious activities promptly to security agencies to curb the menace of trafficking.
