From Joseph Adahnu, Yola
It was tears of joy and grief in Adamawa state, as 14 children reunite with their parents, two months after they were abducted.
The children, age four to nine, who were abducted by their traffickers, from various communities in Adamawa and trafficked to Anambra State, were sold for ₦800,000 to ₦1.7 million each.
Handing over the children to their parents, the Deputy Governor, Prof. Kaletapwa Farauta, described the reunion as that of “mixed feelings of sadness and joy,” lamenting that Adamawa has now joined the list of states grappling with the “unfortunate monster” of child trafficking. “This is an infamous story we hear happening far away from the state. Unfortunately, it has caught up with us”.
At the reunion, Adamawa Deputy Governor, Prof. Kaletapwa George Farauta, warned that the state had been “placed on the map of an unfortunate monster ravaging the nation — child trafficking.”
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She disclosed that security operatives arrested the alleged kingpin, Ngozi Abdulwahab, who ran a small provision shop in Jambutu Ward, Yola-North. She reportedly lured unsuspecting children with snacks before trafficking them to the Southeast for resale.
Farauta said the suspects would be prosecuted under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, the Adamawa State Child Protection Law, 2008, and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2021.
“The message of His Excellency, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, is clear: Adamawa is the wrong place to come to. We shall flush them out, dismantle their networks, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. This isn’t an empty charge. It is a promise,” she declared.
The government provided each family with N100,000 and food items to cushion the reunion, promising follow-up monitoring by the Ministry of Women Affairs and local government welfare units.
Civil society organisations argue that the Adamawa case shows how traffickers exploit trust and poverty at the grassroots.
“Parents must be extra vigilant. These criminals are not spirits — they live among us,” said an activist with the Adamawa Child Protection Network who attended the handover.
Farauta gave a similar warning, saying, “Children are sacred blessings from God. We must treat them with responsibility. Parents must be watchful, and the public must report suspicious activities. This fight is for all of us.”
