Police intercept buses with 32 trafficked children

The Police in Benue State yesterday intercepted two commercial buses allegedly loaded from a private motor park with 32 children at Ameladu in Gboko Local Government Area on its way to Ede in Osun State.  Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the development to newsmen in Makurdi. Anene said a woman, Linda […]

The Police in Benue State yesterday intercepted two commercial buses allegedly loaded from a private motor park with 32 children at Ameladu in Gboko Local Government Area on its way to Ede in Osun State. 

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the development to newsmen in Makurdi.

Anene said a woman, Linda Angbandoo Akaasema, allegedly transporting the children told the police at the point of arrest that the children were attending schools in Osun State but had returned home for the festivities.

It was learnt that the woman further disclosed that she owned an orphanage known as “Akaasema Child Care Foundation” registered in Benue but operational in Osun.

She also reportedly said that the children consisting of 13 males and 19 females all hailed from different towns in Ukum LGA of the state.

She said Akaasema could not provide needed evidence to prove her narration to the police that the children were pupils who only visited home for the festivities as she rather claimed to have left the documents behind in Osun.