Taraba Police Arrest Two Women Over Alleged Abduction of Three Children in Jalingo
The Taraba State Police Command has arrested two women over the alleged abduction of three young girls in Jalingo, the state capital, while they were reportedly attempting to transport the children to Adamawa State.
The suspects were arrested after a commercial vehicle driver reportedly became suspicious while conveying the women and the three children.
According to reports, the driver observed that the girls did not appear to be related to the women and raised the alarm. He reportedly alerted members of his transport union, who subsequently contacted the police, leading to the arrest of the suspects at a filling station.
The three girls were identified as Ummul Shuaibu, Ummul Baba Gasal and Amina Abubakar, all aged between five and six years.
It was gathered that the two women, who were reportedly from a South-Eastern state, had rented a room in the same compound where the children’s families lived about two weeks before the incident.
The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday morning when the suspects allegedly approached the mothers of the children and asked them to allow the girls to accompany them to the market.
However, instead of going to the market, the women allegedly took the children to a motor park in Jalingo, where they reportedly arranged transportation to Adamawa State.
Their journey was, however, cut short after the commercial driver became suspicious and alerted others, resulting in the intervention of the police.
At the police station, the women were reportedly said to have admitted taking the children from the compound after allegedly deceiving their mothers.
One of the parents, Abubakar Kwalli, father of one of the girls, said he and the fathers of the other children were invited to the Taraba State Police Command headquarters after the arrest.
According to him, the families were shocked and relieved to find the children safe.
“We were surprised to see our children at the police headquarters. We were asked to identify them, which we did,” Kwalli reportedly said.
The incident highlights the critical role of public vigilance and cooperation between citizens, transport workers and security agencies in preventing crimes involving children.
The prompt action of the commercial driver, transport union members and the police helped ensure that the three children were rescued before they could allegedly be moved out of Taraba State.
Police investigations into the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction and suspected trafficking attempt are expected to continue.
Taraba Police Arrest Two Women Over Alleged Abduction of Three Children in Jalingo