Two women suspected of human trafficking have been arrested after allegedly abducting three young girls in Jalingo, Taraba State, and attempting to take them to Adamawa State.
The suspects reportedly posed as ordinary tenants and moved into a house where the girls lived with their parents, allegedly spending about two weeks gaining the confidence of the family before striking.
The three girls — Ummul Shuaibu, Ummul Baba Gasal and Amina Abubakar — are aged between five and six.
According to reports, the incident happened on Thursday morning when the women allegedly approached the girls’ mothers and asked for permission to take the children to the market.
But instead of going to the market, the suspects allegedly took the girls to a motor park in Jalingo, where they boarded a commercial vehicle reportedly heading for Adamawa.
Their alleged escape plan, however, hit a roadblock when the driver became suspicious after noticing that the children did not appear to be related to the women.
The driver reportedly alerted members of his transport union, who in turn contacted the police.
The women were subsequently arrested at a filling station while travelling with the three girls.
At the police station, the suspects allegedly admitted taking the children from the compound after deceiving their mothers.
The children were later taken to the Taraba State Police Command headquarters, where their fathers were invited to identify them.
One of the fathers, Abubakar Kwalli, said the parents were stunned to see their children at the police station.
He said the fathers initially identified the girls but were asked to bring their wives for further identification before the children could be released.
According to him, the emotional moment came when the girls saw their mothers and immediately rushed towards them in tears.
The Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Victor Mshelizah, confirmed the arrest of the two women and the rescue of the children.
He said investigation was ongoing, promising that further details would be made available when the investigation is concluded.
The incident has again raised concerns over the tactics allegedly used by traffickers to gain access to vulnerable children, particularly by building relationships with families before attempting to move their victims out of the area.
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