The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Osun State is very worried about the increase in child trafficking happening in the state.
The Osun NSCDC is asking parents to watch their children closely, especially now that schools are closed and kids are more likely to be out in public without anyone looking after them.
Michael Adaralewa, the Commandant of the NSCDC in Osun, said in a statement from their spokesperson, Adeleke Kehinde, that they are very concerned because they got many reports of child kidnappings in August. They are now looking into three cases of children being taken away.
Some people suspected of being involved in these crimes have already been caught.
The statement said, “On August 2, 2024, it was reported at the Command’s Headquarters, along Iwo-Ibadan Road, Osun State, that a little boy, just one year and three months old, was kidnapped at Osunjela, near Ilesa Garage.
A careful investigation showed that a woman named Tawa was introduced to the baby’s mother by a family friend named Sodiq. Tawa said she wanted to learn how to make bags from the baby’s mother.
On the day Tawa came to work, she held the baby, pretending to be playing with him. Then she went out with the baby’s older sister, who is ten years old. The older sister was sent on an errand with the baby. As they went out, Tawa told the older sister to deliver some potatoes to their mother. But then, Tawa ran away with the little baby.
That same day, another report came in about a three-year-old child missing from Ifesowapo Street, Owode, Osogbo, Osun State. The child was last seen playing in a shop, and no one knows where he is till now.”
The statement continued, “On August 27, 2024, a five-month-old baby girl of deaf and mute parents was taken from a farm in Agbeye town, Odo-Otin local government of Osun State. The mother was collecting firewood, and she put the baby under a tree for shade. When she went back to feed the baby, the baby was gone.”
The NSCDC boss in Osun assured the public that they are working hard with other agencies to catch the bad people doing these crimes.
He also told employers and artisans to check the backgrounds of their workers carefully.
Adaralewa asked parents to keep a close watch on their children and to make sure their safety is a top priority, especially during the holidays.
“Children are special gifts from God and the future of the country,” he said.