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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Oyo State has arrested a pastor and four others for alleged child trafficking in Ibadan.
The controller of the service in the State, Innocent Akatu, made the announcement on Saturday, noting that the accused persons were arrested in various locations in Ibadan.
Twelve boys and four girls, who were being trafficked by the suspects, were also paraded.
According to Akatu, “We have young children being taken away from their parents under the pretext that the traffickers would get jobs for them or give them better standard of living,’’ he said.
He said many of them were brought into Nigeria from Republic of Benin, Togo and other neighbouring countries.
“They were sold into slavery by those who brought them into the country but the Federal Government will continue to fight human trafficking,’’ he said.
“These children do not receive the wages paid on them, the money goes to the people who brought them and so, it is pure slavery.
“Before, when we arrested children like these, we reconciled them with their parents; even the foreigners would be taken to their countries.
“But we now felt that the method did not help in checking the problem, that is why we are handing them over to NAPTIP for appropriate legal actions,’’ Akatu said.
NAN