The Gombe State Police Command recently paraded members of a syndicate of child traffickers, who were caught with 12 children, CHIMA AZUBUIKE spoke to the alleged kidnappers and the parents of some of the children
I was given seven children whose parents were supposedly killed by Boko Haram – Orphanage owner
What is your name?
I’m Mrs Nkechi Odilinye, I’m 54 years old from Amanfo Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
What do you do for a living?
I operate the World Peace Motherless Babies Home or Community Children’s Home and it is duly registered. I started it in 2014, but in 2019 our commissioner warned us against child adoption, so I stopped.
What brought you here?
I was arrested in my orphanage located in Anambra State.
How do you get the children?
Five of the children’s mothers work in my motherless babies’ home and the mothers of two other children here also work with me in the orphanage. If you have children and you don’t know where to keep them, you can bring them to us, but you will pay monthly for their upkeep; that is how we have four more. As an organisation, we do take care of such children. The Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs has the names and records of these children here; we usually give reports on all the kids in the motherless babies’ home.
How come you received children from Gombe State for safe keeping in Anambra State?
Shukari’s gave me seven children in 2018. I interrogated them on the ownership of the children; they said their parents were killed by Boko Haram and that they had no parents, but I asked to find out if the children were stolen but they swore that they didn’t steal the children. I told them further that as an honourable member, who is ready to contest again and as Nigeria’s representative at the World Peace Society, that I can never soil my integrity. However, they collected N250,000 for the girl child and N300,000 for the boy child, and I in turn handed the babies to parents to adopt.
For how much?
I put them for adoption for about N750,000.
Do you have children, how come you are doing this business?
Did I know that they were stolen?
I asked Nkechi to train two children in Christian way – Taraba-based engineer
What is your Name?
Alhaji Ali Bala Shukari, I am 39 years old from Taraba State.
What do you do for a living?
I am a mechanical engineer and I completed my tertiary education at the Taraba State Polytechnic.
What is your role in kidnap and sales of babies from Gombe State?
To be sincere, I know Nkechi; in fact, I took two of my children for her to train and not to sell. I used to have girlfriend, Hauwa, who wanted us to begin business, but I declined and told her that I wanted my children to be trained in a Christian way; that was why I took my children to Mrs Nkechi for her to bring them up with Christian doctrine. So, I made up my mind to take two children, one is Emmanuel Theophilus Shukari and the second one is Happiness Theophilus Shukari. I didn’t go to anybody’s house to kidnap anyone’s child. Even if I am given the Quran, I will swear that I didn’t kidnap anyone’s child.
What else do you know about the business?
I know Faith and how they started the business; the first time, she received three children. All the children with Faith are 10 and with Nkechi there are seven children. Two belong to me.
I am ashamed of my actions, because I didn’t have problems with people of Gombe; why I said I didn’t have problem with the people of Gombe is because Gombe people didn’t offend me and I didn’t offend anyone; if there is, let them say it and swear by the Quran. If the state government will help me, I too will help them locate all the children, because I want my children to come back home. I will show them where the woman, Nkechi, keeps the children. Hauwa used to be my friend; we used to be in a relationship except for the last one year and six months.
So, how much did you receive as payment?
They are my children. Even if I get something, it is not your business. They are mine.
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21 Gombe children are still missing – Parent of kidnapped child
Who are you sir?
I’m by Ibrahim Ardo, Secretary of the amalgamation of parents who lost their children through human trafficking in Gombe State from March 2018 to October 2019.
What have you done to get your children back?
I have been following the police as well as urging them to investigate the matter. We reported the disappearance of the children when it first occurred to the Gombe Police Division; later, we came to the Gombe State CID office to report. We heard the news that some women were caught in Anambra State with two male children and it was in the news; that was how we formed the association with the permission of the traditional rulers so that they can come into the matter to investigate it thoroughly, because we saw the rescued children they mixed under similar circumstances with our children.
So, how many children are yours?
I lost Hauwa Ibrahim, who is three and half years old. It happened on December 20, 2018. I saw Hauwa (alleged child trafficker) in our house around 11.30am in the Tudun Wada area around Shamaki.
Did she confess that she took the child?
Yes, she confessed that she was the one who took my child, but my child is not here
How many of the children are left so far?
There are 21 children in total. Gombe children are not among those 12 children recovered and my own child has yet to be discovered.
Now how many are yet to be recovered?
Only two out of the 23 children taken from Gombe have been recovered; these children you are seeing are not all from here; we have called all the parents from Gombe, but they didn’t identify them as their own children; these 12 children that you are seeing, their parents are not known.
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I was caught in Anambra with two children from Gombe State – Suspect
What is your name?
My name is Faith Ukpa; I’m 38 years old.
What brought you to Gombe State?
It is a case of child theft. Hauwa Usman said she was coming from Taraba State and I didn’t know she is from Gombe State. I met Hauwa Usman around October 2018. I had been childless for over eight years before I gave birth to this one I’m carrying here. However, I met Nkechi at a prayer ministry and she knew I was childless then. I met Hauwa and Shukari, who claimed they were looking for who would train their children, but I refused to allow that because my husband is a disciplined man and won’t allow such things.
Where do you reside?
Anambra State.
So, at the moment where do you reside?
Prison.
What took you to prison?
The police caught us with two female children in Anambra State and claimed that the children came from Gombe State. The police from Gombe State came to arrest us.
How did you get the children?
Hauwa was the one who came with the children.
So, how much did you pay her?
I didn’t give her any money; we only met on the road and it was there we were caught by the police.
What is your role in the kidnap of these children?
Normally, Hauwa will tell me that she doesn’t have money and I will give her money. My relationship with Hauwa did not last more than a year; I did not collect 10 children from her.
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A woman was monitoring my activities – Mother of recovered boy
What is your name?
My name is Florence Osa, I am 40 years old. I have four children. One is missing, that is Henry Joel.
How old is he?
He is about clocking four years; when he was taken away, he was two years and seven months. I even saw the mark he sustained two months before he was kidnapped.
What are you doing here?
To reclaim my child; he is one of the recovered children.
Can you narrate how your child was kidnapped?
On July 19, 2019, we were inside our flat at Amede in Isoko South, Delta State. My husband went to pray for someone and I had to stay with the children and I was pregnant. I realised that there was a woman, who had been monitoring my activities in the estate.
What happened when you discovered that your son had been kidnapped?
I fell into labour, remember I told you I was nine months pregnant when the ugly incident occurred.
What did you do to find him?
We went to almost all the police stations around, first to the Community Police Station, but the case was transferred to Asaba. The suspects were arrested and not detained; we paid the transport fare to convey them to Asaba and the police allowed the case to die naturally.
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Some of the children were being used for money rituals – Suspect
What is your name?
My name is Hauwa Usman
Why are you into the business of child trafficking?
I was just told that I should look for a child to bring for the other people. I couldn’t find a child, but I was forced into looking for children for them. In my search for children to kidnap, I found a child of two years; I will not forget because I know the parents of the child and as I speak, we are discussing with them on how to find the child. I hope to take them to Anambra State to look for the child.
How much do you get paid for masterminding a kidnap?
I get about N300,000 depending on the sex of the child, including my transport fare from Taraba to Gombe. Nkechi has received seven children, while Faith has received more than 10 children from me. She pays N250,000 for each girl child and N300,000 for boys.
What do they do with the children?
I have repented now because, as a mother, I feel bad knowing that I help them bring the children. Some of them use the kids for rituals to make money; that is why I repented and turned back to God. I promise to help the government recover as many as possible.
