Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have rescued five minors from a suspected human trafficker and kidnapper in Shendam, Plateau State.
The suspect, identified as 17-year-old Samuel Ottuh from Akwa-Ibom State, was apprehended by OPWS troops.
Maj. Gen. Sunday Igbinomwanhia, the Commander of OPWS, made this revelation while presenting the suspect to journalists at the Tactical Air Command NAF Base in Makurdi, Benue State.
According to Igbinomwanhia, the operation was conducted based on credible intelligence, leading to the arrest of Ottuh just as he was about to take off with the kidnapped minors.
The alleged kingpin of the trafficking cartel managed to evade capture, disappearing upon the arrival of troops, leaving Samuel Ottuh in custody.
The five rescued minors, comprising two boys and three girls aged between 2 and 5 years, were unable to identify their communities or recall their parents’ names.
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In his confession, Ottuh admitted to the crime, revealing that he was working for an Abuja-based woman named Mrs. Tina Nkechi.
According to Ottuh, the children were stolen in Shendam, Plateau State, and were en route to Abuja before their luck ran out at a park in Nasarawa State.
Commander Igbinomwanhia disclosed that Samuel Ottuh detailed how members of their syndicate had integrated into the community as tenants, becoming familiar with local residents and parents of the kidnapped children to avoid suspicion before carrying out their criminal act.
The five rescued children have been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The State coordinator of NAPTIP, represented by Head of Operations Felix Akperaga, stated that the agency would conduct a thorough investigation to apprehend the main suspects and identify the parents of the rescued children.