A white 15-seater Peugeot bus popularly known as J-5 has been intercepted by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command while transporting 59 children suspected to have been trafficked.
The Police said the vehicle with registration number KMC 283 ZJ was intercepted by a team of officers led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Sarki Umar on the Abuja-Kano route on January 6.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, the FCT commissioner of police, Tunji Disu said the children between the age of four and 12 years old were moved in a vehicle driven by Ali Ibrahim and his assistant driver Alhassan Ibrahim.
According to Disu, investigation shows that the children are from different families in Kano and were being moved to Nasarawa State.
He said the drivers claimed that the children were being transported under the guise of receiving training in Nasarawa state.
“The bus was found to be transporting 59 male children aged between 4 and 12 years. Preliminary investigations revealed that the children, who came from different families, were being transported by one Idris Usman, a male resident of Nasarawa State.
“He allegedly travelled to Kano State to convene the children en route to Nasarawa State under the pretext of training them,” Disu said.
Noting that the driver and his assistant are currently being interrogated, Disu said the children are in the custody of the police pending an outcome of a thorough investigation.
He said that the case has already being classified as suspected child abuse and trafficking following the fact that there was no proper documentation or consent from the parents of the children to back up the transportation.