The Lagos State Police Command has apprehended a suspected kingpin involved in child trafficking and a labor syndicate following three months of intelligence gathering.
Superintendent of Police Benjamin Hundeyin, the command’s spokesperson, confirmed the arrest on Sunday, revealing that the syndicate operated by bringing under-aged children from the northern part of Nigeria to Lagos for child labor and other illicit activities.
On January 25, 2024, at approximately 5:45 pm, detectives from Ijora Badia Police Division arrested the 45-year-old syndicate leader, Alimot Haruna, at Molete Village, Ilorin, after monitoring her activities. Haruna confessed to the crime during interrogation.
Preliminary investigations disclosed that the suspect had unlawfully brought 42 children to Lagos for child labor without parental consent.
Further questioning led to the revelation of locations where the remaining children were kept.
The Kwara State Police Command was contacted, and they confirmed the recovery of some children, with only 11 still unaccounted for.