There has been an outcry in Kano State, as reports have it that the kidnapping of children is now becoming more rampant.
The Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, has condemned the trend of kidnapping and selling children, mostly northern minors, to southern parts of the country.
He expressed the concern of the emirate on Saturday in Kano while addressing reporters shortly after a meeting with Igbo leaders.
Represented by Dan Malikin Kano, Amb. Ahmad Umar, the first-class traditional ruler, said the Emirate would no longer condone the abduction and trading of children in the state.
“This Illicit Act Must End”
Additionally, he said the issue had gotten out of hand and that proactive action must be taken to check the ugly trend.
“This illicit act must stop. We have to rise up to check the situation, as it is getting out of hand. The situation cannot stop itself; it is we who will make it stop.
“It happened a few years ago, and now it has happened again. Only God knows how many of our children have been kidnapped and sold,” he said.
On December 27, 2023, the Kano State Police Command announced that it had broken up a human trafficking organisation that was focused on kidnapping, purchasing, and selling children.
According to the police, no fewer than nine suspects from the syndicate were arrested.
The suspects operate around Kano, Bauchi, Lagos, Delta, Anambra and Imo States,
A total of seven children, the majority from Bauchi State, were rescued from the suspects and reunited with their respective parents.
In addition, he said the emirate had expressed great disappointment over the abduction of minors, describing the situation as disturbing.
Therefore, he called for stiffer punishment for the perpetrators to serve as a deterrent to others.
Kano Has Been Accommodating Visitors
Also, the royal father noted that Kano had been accommodating visitors for hundreds of years.
He also stressed that the visitors should not take advantage of the hospitality received by the state to commit crimes.
“Kano, for hundreds of years, has been welcoming visitors and taking them as its sons.
“Recently, we have seen a disturbing and unfortunate incident involving rescuing children trafficked to Lagos through Kano.
Also, the leader of the Igbo community in Kano, Eze Ndigbo, Boniface Igbekwe, condemned the act.
He called on authorities to bring the perpetrators to book.
Furthermore, the Eze took a stand on the matter. He was represented by the Prime Minister of the Igbo Community, Chief Nwaimo Efanyi.
He said the Igbo community had received the news of the kidnapped children with shock and disbelief.
“We condemned the act in its entirety, in whatever guise, and called for punishment on the perpetrators.
“We Igbo dissociate ourselves from this criminality and call for peace with one another,” he stated.
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