Kano emirate council and Arewa Consultative Forum (AFC) have read riot act to kidnappers of children from North, warning that the ugly act must stop to ensure a peaceful co-existence amongst all the tribes.
It be recalled that last year, some people were arrested by the Kano state police command over an allegation of kidnapped seven teenagers from Bauchi and Kano states and selling them to people in the Southeast and Lagos
The police paraded the 11 people attested in connection with the abduction of the seven children and sold them at prices ranging from N400,000 and N500,000
However, these children have been reunited with their parents, who were mostly from Bauchi state.
Based on the recent incident of recovery of abducted children made by the Kano Police Command, the ACF organised a meeting of all stakeholders on Saturday in Kano to proffer solution to the crime.
The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, who was represented by Seriki Shanu Kano Alhaji Mohammed Shehu, vehemently condemned the act and called for a lasting solution to the ugly act.
However, while speaking on behalf of the ACF, the Chairman, Dr Goni Faruk Umar called on those people who engage in this satanically act and inhumanity treatment of innocent children to, henceforth stop the stupidity ”
He also called on the Nigerian government, traditional institutions, security agencies, community leaders, judiciary, and legislature to put hands on deck to arrest the situation once and for all.
According to him,” We called for this stakeholders meeting to show our concern with the way children are abducted and sold in the state. Not even abducted, some were sold by their parents, some were sold by doctors in the hospital after delivery, as confirmed to us by the police commissioner when we visited him.
“We visited the Police Commissioner and thanked him when he rescued eight children recently.
“The children were from Bauchi, they bring them to Kano, collaborate with warheads to give them certificates of birth, backdate them and then sell the children.
“One of them who bought a child at N480,000 was arrested and the police commissioner told us that she said she bought the child because in the Igbo culture if you don’t have a male child you will not inherit your husband.
“That was the purpose and similar others, not that they are using the child for rituals.
“We are concerned with the situation that is why we called the Igbo leaders and other stakeholders to this conference. There is also the issue of drug abuse associated with Sabon Gari, we are not just getting them to condemn the situation, but to also work with them in fighting the menace” the ACF leader stated.
The representative of the Igbo Community, Chief Uwaimo Ifeanyi who represented Igwe Igbo of Kano, Igwe Boniface Ibekwe, condemned the act and called for the wrath of the law on the perpetrators.
“We received with shock and disbelief the abduction of children that were recovered by the police in Kano. We condemn this criminal act in its entirety.
They all called on “the law to deal with the perpetrators as we dissociate with the act and remain law abiding”.
Other ethnic leaders present at the meeting include the Sarkin Edo of Kano, Fred Akhigbe of Kano, the leader of Igala community, Abubakar Ibochi and the Youruba leader in Kano, Yunus Salahuddeen Olanrewaju, represented the Oba of Yoruba, Alhaji Murtala Alimi Otisese all condemned the act and dissociate from it while promising to guide their communities against it.
. TheWitness
