Abuja Police Nab Woman Trying to Sell 3-Year-Old Child

Woman Arrested in Abuja for Selling Stolen Toddler

​Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), have dismantled an interstate child trafficking syndicate in Abuja. The operation led to the arrest of seven individuals, including the alleged ringleader, 33-year-old Hasana Jacob, a female truck driver employed by a prominent cement company in Obajana, Kogi State. The suspects were apprehended while attempting to sell a three-year-old girl who had been abducted from Damaturu, Yobe State.

According to NAPTIP’s spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye, the syndicate specialized in abducting children aged one and above, transporting them across the country using branded cement trucks to evade suspicion, and selling them to buyers for as much as ₦600,000 each. The network operated through a system of recruiters and buyers strategically placed across various states, facilitating the swift movement and sale of kidnapped children.

NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu-Bello, expressed profound dismay over the arrests, condemning the act as a “heinous crime against humanity.” She highlighted the disturbing nature of the crime, especially given that the alleged leader is a woman who understands the pain of motherhood. Adamu-Bello also commended the DSS for their support and called for continued collaboration among law enforcement agencies to protect children from human traffickers in Nigeria.