Gov Yahaya: 48 children stolen from Gombe

Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has alleged that 48 children from the state are missing, raising concerns over child safety and security. The governor disclosed this on Friday during the inauguration of the Ramadan palliative distribution exercise held in Gombe. According to him, records available to the state government indicate that dozens of young […]

Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has alleged that 48 children from the state are missing, raising concerns over child safety and security.

The governor disclosed this on Friday during the inauguration of the Ramadan palliative distribution exercise held in Gombe.

According to him, records available to the state government indicate that dozens of young children, aged between two and five years, have allegedly been taken from the state.

“From the available records, 48 Gombe State children between the ages of two and five have been stolen from the state to other parts of the world,” Yahaya said.

He added that while the parents of the affected children remain in Gombe, the whereabouts of the children are unknown.

“Their parents are here within the state. For the children, we don’t know if they would be found or not,” the governor stated.

Yahaya did not provide details on when the alleged incidents occurred or the specific locations from which the children were reportedly taken.

He, however, cited a recent case involving the abduction of a child in the Orji Estate area following the relaxation of the state’s motorcycle ban.

“With the relaxation of the motorcycle ban, a boy was stolen at Orji Estate but thankfully, he was rescued,” he said.

The governor described security as a collective responsibility and urged residents to cooperate with security agencies and government authorities to curb emerging threats.

“We must take serious measures to tackle these emerging threats and restore peace in the state. Before now, Nigerians were living in peace, why was it so? What is now missing and what are we supposed to do? We need to evaluate things today and do what we ought to do, no matter how tough,” Yahaya added.

He called on citizens to remain vigilant and support ongoing efforts aimed at safeguarding lives and property across the state.