The Taraba State Police Command has arrested two women over the alleged attempted trafficking of three children, all aged about four, from Jalingo, the state capital, to Yola in Adamawa State.
The suspects, identified as Ada Eze and Ujunyi F., were allegedly attempting to transport the children out of Taraba State after deceiving their parents that they were taking them to the market.
The three children were subsequently rescued alive at a motor park in Yola before they could allegedly be handed over to another suspect identified only as Juliet of Onitsha.
The incident reportedly began on Saturday in the NTA Area of Jalingo, where the children were allegedly taken from their parents under the guise that they were being taken to the market.
Rather than returning with the children as expected, the two women allegedly transported them towards Yola in Adamawa State, raising suspicion and prompting efforts to trace their whereabouts.
Sources familiar with the incident said the children were eventually located at the Yola park, where they were rescued before the alleged handover could take place.
“The children were rescued alive at the Yola park before they could be handed over to another suspect identified only as Juliet of Onitsha,” sources said.
The circumstances surrounding the planned movement of the children from Jalingo to Yola have heightened concerns among residents and community members, particularly over the vulnerability of young children to trafficking networks.
The suspects, according to the information available, are both women of Igbo extraction. They were identified as Ada Eze and Ujunyi F., although further details about their backgrounds were not immediately available.
Sources said the children were all about four years old, making their alleged movement without the knowledge or consent of their parents a particularly serious concern.
“The suspects deceived the children’s parents by claiming they were taking the children to the market before transporting them out of Taraba State,” a source said.
The alleged attempt also involved movement across state boundaries, with the children taken from Taraba towards Adamawa before the intervention that led to their rescue.
Community members who spoke about the incident expressed concern over the alleged manner in which the children were taken from their parents.
They said the case should be thoroughly investigated to determine whether the suspects were acting alone or as part of a wider network involved in the movement and exploitation of children.
Sources further alleged that one of the suspects, Ada Eze, had previously been arrested in connection with a similar offence.
According to the sources, she was charged before a court in Jalingo following the earlier arrest but was later released.
The claim could not be independently verified as of the time of filing, and details of the previous case, including the charge, court proceedings and circumstances surrounding her release, were not immediately available.
“Residents are deeply disturbed by the incident and want the case pursued to its logical conclusion,” community sources said.
The latest incident has nevertheless generated concern among residents, with eyewitnesses and community sources describing the alleged attempt as deeply disturbing.
They commended the Taraba State Police Command for its swift intervention and rescue of the three children before they could allegedly be handed over to another person.
The community members also called for the investigation to be pursued to its logical conclusion, saying anyone found culpable should face the full weight of the law.
They stressed that children should not be removed from their families or moved to another location under false pretences, particularly where such movement could expose them to exploitation.
“Anyone found guilty should face the full weight of the law,” the community members said.
The alleged involvement of another individual identified only as “Juliet of Onitsha” is also expected to form part of the police investigation.
It was not immediately clear whether “Juliet of Onitsha” had been arrested or whether the police had established her precise identity and alleged role in the incident.
The rescue at the Yola park before the alleged handover, however, potentially provides investigators with an important point from which to establish how the children were moved from Jalingo and who was expected to receive them.
Child trafficking remains a serious concern because trafficked children can be exposed to different forms of exploitation, including forced labour, domestic servitude and other abuses.
The incident also highlights the importance of vigilance by parents, guardians and communities, particularly when children are entrusted to individuals outside their immediate families.
In this case, the alleged deception of the children’s parents is central to the account provided by sources, who said the suspects claimed they were taking the children to the market before allegedly transporting them out of the state.
The community members insisted that the alleged conduct should not be allowed to become normalised, warning that the protection of children requires cooperation between families, communities and security agencies.
They also urged authorities to ensure that the investigation identifies all persons who may have been connected to the alleged movement of the children.
When contacted repeatedly for official confirmation, a spokesman for the Taraba State Police Command confirmed that the incident occurred.
The spokesman, however, said the command would issue a formal press release within the hour, providing further details about the arrest and rescue operation.
As of the time of filing this report, the promised statement had not been received.
Consequently, details such as the precise circumstances of the arrests, the current status of the suspects, the identities and condition of the rescued children, and the specific charges that may be brought against the suspects were not immediately available.
The police confirmation nevertheless provides an official acknowledgment that the reported incident occurred, while the additional allegations concerning the suspects and the purported previous case remain subject to investigation and formal police disclosure.
Residents who reacted to the development urged law enforcement authorities to ensure that the children were reunited with their families after appropriate safeguarding procedures and that all persons connected to the alleged trafficking attempt were identified.
They also called for increased vigilance within communities to prevent strangers or individuals posing as acquaintances from gaining unauthorised access to children.
The community members maintained that any person found to have participated in the alleged trafficking attempt should be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
They described child trafficking as an unacceptable act that should not be allowed to take root in Taraba State.
West Trybe reports that the alleged attempted trafficking involved three children of about four years of age who were reportedly taken from the NTA Area of Jalingo under the pretext of going to the market before being transported towards Yola in Adamawa State. The children were rescued at a Yola park before an alleged handover could take place, while the Taraba Police Command confirmed the incident and said a formal statement would provide further details. As of the time of filing, the command’s promised release had not been received, leaving some details of the investigation subject to official clarification.
