Kano Parents Demand Release Of 47 Additional Abducted Kids – TheNigerialawyer

… as citizen initiative calls for thorough
investigation

Parents of missing children in Kano state have called on the
federal and state governments to ensure release of 47 additional
children who are still under the custody of a criminal Igbo
syndicate specialised in abducting and converting young Muslim
children to Christianity.

Chronicle gathered that the syndicate is specilialised in
abducting young Muslims from Kano to Southern part of the country;
rename, convert them to Christianity and sell them to others for
slavery.

The affected parents under the umbrella of the Protection
Against the Abduction/Missing of Our Children, demanded for
thorough investigation into the matter.

Secretary of the group, Malam Shuaibu Ibahim said the affected
families and their relations were undergoing extreme trauma
courtesy of the abduction of their loved ones by the criminals.

Ibrahim said, “We are happy that the police have made a break
through by arresting some members of the syndicate. The police
should interrogate the suspects thoroughly in order to un-ravel
their accomplices so that other children that are still missing can
be rescued and reunited with their parents.”

The parents also released the list of the 47 missing children as
well as photos of 23 of the children who were kidnapped from
neighborhoods such as Walalambe, Walawai, Hotoro, Kawo and
Tinshama, all in Nassarawa local government as well as Rimin Kebe
and Dakata in Ungogo local government areas of Kano state.

It would be recalled that Kano Police Command had rescued nine
missing children and paraded six Igbo persons for abducting and
selling the children in Onitsha, Anambra state.

In a related development, the Kano Concerned Citizen Initiative
(KCCI) has condemned, in a strong term, the abduction of nine Kano
kids, just as it urged the police and other security agencies to
investigate the matter thoroughly.

The KCCI in a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Bashir
Othman Tofa, lamented that it was widely reported that the names of
the affected children were changed and converted to Christianity,
describing the development as dangerous and frightening.

“Whatever was the purpose of these abductions it is still
frightening because of the news-paper reports of the horrendous
experiences the children underwent. This is a specialized organized
crime that manipulates religion to exploit the innocent children,”
the statement indicated.

The Initiative noted that the case of these abducted children is
a special case, unlike other crimes, it has some ideological
undertones, saying “other criminal kidnappers demand ransom while
in this special case the children were abducted for certain
purposes, of which the police investigation is still being
awaited.

“We therefore call on all umbrella religious associations of
Christians and Muslims to condemn this evil action and take the
necessary steps towards addressing it. If we recall when one Ese
Oruru of Bayelsa State, was claimed to have been taken by her lover
who converted her to Islam, Muslim leaders condemned the act and
took the appropriate steps since the girl was under-aged. The press
also made several stories headlines and commentaries.

“We expect nothing less from them on this issue of abduction of
nine children who were abused in the name of converting them to
human sacrifice for rituals or use in baby factories, which have
become rampant crime of such kind of abductors. It is in this light
that we call on the Nigerian Police not to relent in their efforts
of unearthing the true motives of these criminals.

The KCCI also urged police and other security agencies to do
their utmost best to investigate if there is any more of these
captive children and adults from other states enslaved anywhere in
the country, not only in Anambra State.

It further urged Kano State government to liaise with Anambra
state to find out the nature of these abductions and better ways of
cooperating to end these criminal activities for the overall
peaceful coexistence of Nigerians.

“This becomes imperative, if we recall what a former Governor of
Anambra State did to some innocent Northerners living in his state
until a former Governor of Kano State visited him to resolve the
issue,” the statement indicated.

The KCCI also called on the press to continue to expose these
criminals for what they are, noting that the press had important
role to play and it must eschew partisanship and sectionalism.

It emphasized that “There is need for wide coverage of this
crime to inform and enlighten the public on the atrocities of these
criminals who want to hide under religious and ethnic garb to
perpetrate their evil actions.”

It assured that the criminals who abducted these children for
diabolical reasons would face the wrath of the law, noting that
“even though they are from a particular part of the country they
don’t represent their ethnic group; therefore no one should profile
that ethnic group in this regard. They are responsible for their
actions before the law and they should face it irrespective of
where they come from.”

The initiative commended the Nigeria Police for this patriotic
action and the way and manner it handled the matter, appealing to
the law-abiding citizens of Kano state to remain calm and report
any suspicious activities to the police.