BY RAPHAEL EKPANG,ABUJA
The Senate on Wednesday expressed serious concern on the increase in the number of incidences of children trafficking across the country for the purpose of forced adoption, domestic Service, prostitution and other forms of exploitative labour.
Consequently, the Senate mandated its committee on women Affairs and Youth development as well as that of judiciary, Human Rights and legal matters to conduct an investigative hearing on child trafficking in the country with a view to proffer solutions.
It implored all agencies that are responsible to curb and eliminate child trafficking and trafficking in persons to be more effective in the discharge of their duties.
The upper legislative chamber decried reported cases where children were kidnapped in the states of GOMBE, FCT, KANO and were sold to some willing buyers and some of the captives have been forcefully adopted by the kidnappers in some parts of the country.
This followed a motion by SENATOR BARAU JIBRIN (Kano North) and co-sponsored by 25 senators on the menace of child trafficking in Nigeria.
The Senate urged state governors to take proactive measures to protect the vulnerable people from being abducted.
According to JIBRIN “some of these children have been rescued by security agencies and reunited with their parents, but it is estimated that several others are still with their kidnappers.
“If this trend is not nipped in the bud, it is capable of bringing about child slavery system in the entire country thereby destroying our future generation and negatively affecting the image of our country within the comity of nations”.
Presiding, the Senate President, AHMAD LAWAN congratulated SENATOR BARAU JIBRIN for moving the motion.
“Child trafficking is evil and we have to do everything to protect our citizens,” Senate President, AHMAD LAWAN stated.
