Kebbi: Family of rescued children recounts 3 years agony

“When they asked me to come and prove that I am the mother of the boy I told them I made marks on his body. They looked at it and they discovered the marks.” These were the words of Mercy Daniel who was reunited with her son after three years of agony and not knowing […]

“When they asked me to come and prove that I am the mother of the boy I told them I made marks on his body. They looked at it and they discovered the marks.”

These were the words of Mercy Daniel who was reunited with her son after three years of agony and not knowing what happened to her last son.

Mercy Daniel, while speaking on her 3 years of agony and trauma before her child was rescued by the DSS said she would have lost the child forever if not for the marks she made on his body.

Mercy said her child, Silan-Laini James who is now 4 years old was stolen while playing in front of his grandfather’s home at Sha Da’ Wanka in Tudun Wada, Zuru local government area of Kebbi State.

“His disappearance threw the entire family and community in a mourning mood for three years before he was rescued and brought back to us. I always had the feeling that one day my child would return home even though I didn’t know how.”

She recounted that the day she set her eyes again on the child the boy uttered a word she used to say to him before he was stolen from her.  “I named him Silan-Laini. In Dakarkari (C’lela) it means God knows the best. Even though it was painful and traumatizing not seeing my child for 3 years I had the feeling he would return home one day and God has made that to happen”.

The grandfather of the boy, Pastor Dazi Daniel said for 3 years the family was in pain. “We were worried over our missing child. My People mourned and cried. We thought they had used the boy for ritual. As a pastor, l knew God would do something. My elder brother, who was the immediate grandfather of the child was already down with a stroke. He couldn’t bear the traumatic experience we were all going through when the boy was stolen and he died”.

He explained that as hope was deeming on the return of the boy one day they were invited to come to Birnin Kebbi. While they were making arrangement for transport money the authorities of Zuru local government took over the responsibility of their transportation and welfare.

The Personnel of the Department of State Service (DSS) last week Sunday rescued two children aged 3 and 4 from where child trafficking syndicates had allegedly sold them in Enugu.

The children were said to have been stolen on February 16, 2016, before they were rescued and reunited with their parents 3 years after.

“When we arrived at government house we were told the security operatives rescued some children from where they were sold to in Enugu. Having identified our son with the marks on his body he was reunited with the family.”

He said the boy is gradually getting used to the family. “When he speaks Igbo language to us we also speak our language to him. He was used to Igbo foods but he is gradually getting adjusted to our own food.”

Pastor Daniel said his family was doing everything possible for the boy to be reoriented. “The parents of the boy that was earlier rescued from his abductors in Enugu have been coming to share their experience with us. They are teaching us some of the things they had done to for their boy in order to help us through with our boy.”

It would be recalled that the DSS in Kebbi State paraded a woman whose name was given as Aghata and two other accomplices, Moses and Samson in connection with the abduction and sale of Silan-Laini James and one other girl whose identity is still being withheld.

The three suspected child traffickers were arrested in Enugu, Anambra, and Lagos respectively.

While reuniting the children with their parents at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu said two of the suspects were also arrested in connection with abduction and sale of two other children that were earlier rescued by the DSS on November 10 this year in Zuru area of the state.

Earlier, the DSS had arrested one Helen Samuel and her accomplice, Dorathy Okonko, Comfort Nwanko, Uchena Benedict and one Moses from Anambra and Delta state respectively.

Their arrest followed a complaint made by the parents of Yusuf Henso and Rabi Kabiru to the vigilante group in Zuru over the missing of one of their twins. The twins (Hussein and Hussana) were playing outside their parents’ home in Zuru area of the state when one of them Hussaina suddenly disappeared but was rescued by DSS four months after.