NAPTIP Rescues Two Boys From Human Traffickers in Akwa Ibom
Uko Okon, Uyo
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says the Agency has rescued two young boys, who are indigenes of Akwa Ibom, who were trafficked to Taraba for forced labour.
The Uyo Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mr Emmanuel Awhen, disclosed this in an interview with reporters in Uyo on Monday.
Awhen said that the agency received a complaint about the missing two young boys, Abasifreke Okon and Precious Ene, who were staying with their parents in the Uyo metropolis.
Ene was accused of luring Okon out, which made Ene’s mother report to the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Uyo, who handed over the woman, Mrs Grace Ene, to the agency for investigation.
Through the investigation, it was discovered that Mr Christian Gombe had come to Uyo and lured the children to Taraba to work for him without their parents’ consent.
The zonal commander said that based on the complaint, the Uyo zonal command had to contact NAPTIP in Taraba and alert them of the incident.
So, the search for the boys began, and Gombe was contacted. Having known that the agency was involved, he volunteered to return the boys to Uyo immediately.
“We had a call from the paramount ruler of Uyo telling us about the case. We sent our officers to the palace to get the woman to our office.
“The woman was detained and we communicated the incident to our Taraba office.
“In the process, we were able to get the number of the man who trafficked the boys.
“So, we informed our men in Taraba and asked him to take the two boys to our Taraba office. When he heard of NAPTIP, he immediately complied and had to send the boys back to us,” Awhen said.
Narrating their ordeal, Precious Ene said they met Mr Christian Gombeat BetNaija along Nwaniba. He asked them whether they would like to work and promised to give them a job in Taraba State.
“So, on Feb. 12, Gombe returned with a ticket for them to travel to Taraba, where they would work for him.
“We got there on Feb. 13, and he gave us a place to stay. We started selling building materials for him,” Ene said.
He narrated that the man did not give them any money until they were returned to Uyo to meet their parents on March 14.
The boys appreciated NAPTIP officials for rescuing them, as they were uncomfortable staying in Taraba.
Awhen appealed to parents and guardians to be mindful of those coming to take their children with the intention of greener pastures, stressing that they might end up in child labour or prostitution.
The zonal commander urged traffickers to desist from such acts, as the state and country were no longer safe for such erroneous crimes.
He urged victims of human trafficking, parents and guardians and the general public to reach the agency on the following phone numbers when they need help; 08069539747, 08023574406 and 08035961835
