Fintiri Reunites 14 Abducted Children with Parents
By Kalu blessing
The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has reunited 14 abducted children with their parents following the successful dismantling of a child trafficking syndicate operating in the state. Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Deputy Governor, Professor Kaletapwa Farauta, said the children had undergone medical tests and treatment before being released to their families. “I welcome you to a mixed feeling of sadness and joy. It is sad that today, Adamawa State is on the map of an unfortunate monster which has been ravaging the nation the monster of child trafficking. This is an infamous story we usually hear happening far away from the state. Unfortunately, it has caught up with us,” she said. Farauta explained that in July 2025, the government received intelligence on cases of missing children, most of them minors. With the cooperation of security agencies including the Police, DSS, and NSCDC, a combined operation was launched which led to the arrest of the ring leader.
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The suspect, a middle-aged woman of Igbo extraction identified as Ngozi Abdulwahab, allegedly lured children aged 4–9 years from various communities in Adamawa State using snacks and gifts. Operating from a small provision shop in Jambutu ward, Yola North LGA, she reportedly sold the victims in the South-East for between ₦800,000 and ₦1.7 million per child. Farauta condemned the act, describing it as both traumatic and a sad reality for the state. She vowed that the perpetrator and her accomplices would be prosecuted under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, the Adamawa State Child Protection Law (2008), the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2021, and the Penal Code of Adamawa State. “The message of His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to human traffickers and their collaborators is clear: Adamawa State is the wrong place to come to. We shall flush them out, dismantle their networks, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Our citizens are our most cherished assets and under no condition should anybody convert them into commodities of trade,” she declared.
To support the families, each parent of the rescued children received ₦100,000 alongside food and non-food items to ease their reintegration and enable them to establish small businesses. Farauta also appealed to parents across the state to be more vigilant and responsible. “Children are sacred blessings from God. We must treat them with the deserved responsibility. I call on all parents to take parenting more seriously and on members of the public to report any suspicious activity to the authorities immediately,” she added.