By Israel Adams, Jos
Child Protection Network Plateau State Chapter has condemned the trend of
trafficking of Children from the state .
State Coordinator of the Network Mrs Sandra Chikan , in a statement made available to newsmen in Jos at the weekend stressed that they would no longer condone the illicit acts where children and young people from Plateau State are tricked, forced or persuaded to leave their homes and then transported and forced to work or sold or trafficked for sexual exploitation.
According to Mrs Sandra Chikan “in view of the alarming increase in cases of child trafficking ,Young girls from Plateau state have in several occasions been lured by syndicates to other countries and states for Prostitution and
Child labour. ”
“Child Protection Network condemns this dastardly act and we call on Parents and Guardians to be aware of these crimes .”
” Parents and Community member should not fail in their primary responsibility of protecting and training their Children.”.
The Network called on Community Leaders to report any unlawful activity and crimes of such to law enforcement agencies.
“Government should explore options for ensuring policies are implemented and engage stakeholders in concerted effort to combat this menace and criminality.”
Describing the situation as disturbing, Mrs Chikan called for stiffer punishment of perpetrators to serve as lesson to others.
” This ugly trend must stop ,We have to rise up against it ,We will no longer condone this situation ,she added .
It could be recalled that at least 10 teenage Nigerian girls around the ages of 15 and 16 were rescued by authorities after they were trafficked to neighbouring Ghana for prostitution recently
The Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, confirmed this in a video posted on her verified X, formerly Twitter yesterday.
It was gathered that the girls were rescued, after a tip-off, by NIDO – the umbrella body of all Nigerians living in Ghana and an arm of the NiDCOM.
At least three of the victims are siblings. “They give us out to men, and they don’t give us money; they collect everything,” one of the girls said.
Our correspondent gathered that some of the victims were from Plateau state.
It could also be recalled that the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons in July 2022 said it rescued a total of 200 trafficked children in Plateau State.
Also in August 2022 ,The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), said it recorded 78 cases of trafficking with 121 victims in Plateau.
