A 45-year-old woman, Alimot Haruna, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly smuggling 42 northern children into Lagos without their parents’ consent. The incident occurred on January 25 at around 5:45 pm. Police detectives monitoring the suspect’s movements rescued three underage children (two females and one male) during the operation.
According to a police source, the suspect had been declared wanted by the Kwara State Police Command in connection with numerous missing underage children linked to her syndicate. The Kwara State Police Command’s anti-human trafficking unit confirmed that they had recovered some of the missing children, leaving 11 still unaccounted for.
The source revealed that the suspect admitted to her involvement and provided addresses where the children were kept, along with the names of their parents. The suspect has been connected to an organized syndicate involved in the trafficking, abduction, buying, and selling of minors across different states.
The Lagos State Police Command assured that efforts were underway to rescue the remaining eight children, and updates on the progress would be communicated. The arrest is part of ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to combat human trafficking and child abduction in the region. Last year, the Kano State Police Command arrested nine suspects involved in inter-state trafficking and the abduction of minors.
