* Goats bit me in dream, responsible for my actions.-father. I speak out to safeguard my junior sister- daughter.
The Kogi command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC has finalised arrangement to repatriate 25 children trafficked to Kogi from Kaduna state .
This is just as a middle age man, who have been having carnal knowledge of his biological daughter for three years have been arrested
The command in a sting operation , also arrested two criminal elements who have been terrorising the people of the central senatorial district of the state for dispossessing one Musa Zakari of his motorcycle.
The state Commandant of the corps, CD Ahmad Ahmad Gandi made the disclosure while parading the suspects yesterday in Lokoja, Kogi state.
The Commandant disclosed that on the 20th April 2023, the command received a distress call from a good Samaritan that one Mustapha Sani, 13 . was seen roaming the streets at an odd hours,and on enquiry, it was discovered that he was brought into the state by one Mathew Joseph from Kaduna state.
He added that on receipt of the complaint, his men swung into action and Matthew Joseph , a suspected trafficker was arrested and on interrogation gave useful information that led to the arrest of 22 foster fathers, and recovery of 25 children
The Commandant while addressing the press, said , Governor Yahaya Bello has shown high level interest in the matter and has given necessary support to the command to ensure seamless repatriation of the children back to their state of origin for onward reunion with their parents.
He said through the ministry of women affairs and social development their counterparts in Kaduna was contacted and arrangement was concluded for the repatriation of the victims.
Speaking for the commissioner for women Affairs and Social Development, Hajarat Ameen , confirmed that the Ministry has contacted her counterpart in Kaduna state and preparation is in top gear to repatriate the children to the ministry for onward reunion with their parents
He warned parents to be wary of the movement of their children as most of abuse are perpetrated by those known to them.
The suspected trafficker, Matthew Joseph, who claimed to hail from Kajuru LGA in southern Kaduna said, he went home one particular day, and saw pitiable conditions of his people as a result of the activities of bandits on his people.
He stated that , in his attempt to help them bear the brunt of economic hardship, approach the parents who willingly offered the children to him.
He added that , he distributed the children to families in Lokoja to foster them , stressing that they are being adequately taken care of with some of them going to good schools.
He said, although , ignorance is not an excuse , he want the authority to temper justice with mercy as his action was purely driven by compassion as against percuniary consideration.
In the same vein, the command, paraded a middle aged man for serially having carnal knowledge of his underage daughter.
He said , the incestuous relationship started after, the wife had packed out of the matrimonial home for irreconcilable differences and left the daughter and three other siblings for the estranged husband.
He said an NGO brought the complaint to the command, as the officers of the command, through credible information arrested the father and he has given useful information. He said on completion of investigation, he will be charged to court.
Speaking from the sidelines, the suspect feigned ignorance of his actions that lasted for three years before the bubble finally busted.
He said , when the wife packed out of the matrimonial home, he used every available entreaty to making her to come back but to no avail, however, in a bid to fend for the children , he had to sell off his two properties in Lokoja.
He lamentated that one particular night , he was bitten by goats in a dream which could have been responsible for his action, saying , he was not aware that such thing has been happening between him and his daughter.
In her own word, the victim , who was 16, at the time of the sexual activity started in 2020 , is now a 300 level student in one of the universities, said, she could not complain the action of her father to any one for fear of being harmed.
She alleged that the sexual abuse that lasted for three years resulted to pregnancy, which the father procured abortion for her.
She said , she decided to speak out now to safeguard her junior sister from being cut in the web.
In another development, the duo of Yakubu Abubakar,male ,19, Hammed Fun still at large conspired with the use of dangerous weapon with the intention to rob one Musa Zakari of Km18 Ajaokuta in Kogi state who was badly injured on his head and subsequently became unconscious and in the process the suspects dispossessed him of his motorcycle and 2 phones and unspecified amount of money..
On receipt of the complaint, the officers tract the suspects to Igbemo in Ekiti , where Yakubu Abubakar was arrested while Isiaka Suleiman was later arrested in Ihima, okehi LGA for being accessory to the crime.
The commandant, said , the victim was rushed to a medical facility and on recovery reported the case to the command which led to the arrest of the suspects.
He explained that , Yakubu Abubakar had given the SIM of the phone to his friend Isiaka Suleiman who began to use the phone to defraud the victim under the pretence of being ritual money maker.
In his confessional statement , Yakubu owned up to the commission of the crime , but said , he was lured into by Hammers alias fun.
He said all his efforts to assist the command to arrest the gang leader has not yielded desired results, as he kept changing locations.
Meanwhile, the commandant urged the general public to see something and say something to the security agencies, as the fight against undesirable elements is a collective fight in order rid the society of crimes and criminality .
