Police arrests 10 for allegedly stealing 45 children in Nasarawa

Police operatives in Nasarawa have arrested 10 suspected members of a child theft syndicate in the state.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Shehu Nadada, who paraded the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Lafia on Friday, said they were arrested in connection with the theft of 45 children in the state.

He added that police operatives attached to Keffi Division on routine patrol rescued a man from an angry mob on January 10.

The CP said: “Upon inquiry, the command discovered that he allegedly abducted a five-year-old boy in Keffi.

“The suspect later confessed he was a member of a syndicate that specialised in child theft and sale of same to the highest bidder.

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“A further investigation led to the arrest of nine other members of the syndicate.

“The analysis on their mobile phones indicated that they had stolen and sold 45 children, who have been illegally adopted by unsuspecting member of the public across the country.”

Nadada, who did not state the period when the children were stolen, said most of them were taken away by the criminals in Abuja, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau and Niger States.

He said six of the children had been recovered from Abuja, Ondo and Lagos State, while effort was ongoing to arrest more accomplices and recover more of the stolen children.

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