Two Police Officers Arrèsted For K!dnàpping Minors In Sokoto
The Sokoto State Police Command verified that two of its officers, ASP Kulu and Elizabeth Ojah, were detained on suspicion of kidnapping minors in the state.
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command apprehended them for purportedly taking five children.
ASP Ahmad Rufai, the spokesperson for the command, confirmed the arrests in a statement on Friday, May 3, stating that investigations into the alleged abduction of the five children from the state have begun.
These officers had previously been arrested by the FCT police command on similar charges.
“Both the suspects and victims were transferred and handed over to the command from FCT police command for further investigation into the matter,” the PPRO said.
Among those taken were three infants aged under two and a five-year-old named Asmau Ya’u, who was reportedly snatched while en route to an Islamiyya school in Sokoto.
The alleged perpetrators were apprehended while traveling from Sokoto to Abuja in an 18-seater commercial bus. Some passengers alerted the police near Abuja after noticing that the caregivers of the children were unable to breastfeed them during the seven-hour journey.
Sirajo Madawaki, the state official of the Human Rights Network, mentioned that the case was transferred from Abuja to the network office in the state, where an investigation has been initiated. Madawaki assured that the network would pursue the case to its conclusion, ensuring the suspects face prosecution and the children are reunited with their families.
The suspect, ASP Kulu, reportedly serving with the Kubwa Division, had requested leave, which was denied before her trip to Sokoto.