Parents decry child thefts in Bwari

Parents in Bwari town, the headquarters of Bwari Area Council in the FCT, have decried the increasing rate at which children are being stolen in the town. Abuja Metro reports that there have been increasing cases of child theft in the town, with community leaders calling on relevant security agencies to step up their efforts. […]

Parents in Bwari town, the headquarters of Bwari Area Council in the FCT, have decried the increasing rate at which children are being stolen in the town.

Abuja Metro reports that there have been increasing cases of child theft in the town, with community leaders calling on relevant security agencies to step up their efforts.

A parent, who simply gave her name as Habiba, said the situation has become worrisome.

She recounted that on Monday, two children were stolen at the Old Viva area of Sabon-Gari by two men who came in a Hilux van.

She said the children had left a summer lesson from a school in the area and were approached by the suspects, who immediately moved them into the van and sped off.

“It was a motorcyclist who was watching that raised the alarm, which made people block them and recover the children,” she said.

She added that the suspects were handed over to the police in Bwari.

One of the community leaders in the town, Isiah Marcus, said recently, no fewer than five children were stolen from the Chinkin Gwari (Esu palace) area of the town.

According to him, several other children were also stolen from the Tundun Fulani area of the town, with some of them yet to be recovered.

He pleaded with security operatives, including vigilantes, to help secure the town.

A resident of the Tundun Fulani area, who gave his name as Ibrahim, said more than six children have been stolen in the town recently.

He pleaded with the police to intensify patrols to curb the menace.

A source at the Bwari Police Division confirmed that several cases involving child theft have been reported at the station.

The police source, who requested anonymity, however, said the division is working hard to curb the new crime trend in the town.