Over 150 children trafficked through a church
Child trafficking seems to be booming in some parts of Akwa Ibom State as over 200 children are said to have been trafficked in the last eight-months through the help of some Pentecostal churches in Akwa Ibom. A non-governmental organisation “Stepping Stones Nigeria,” which made this disclosure, said street children might have been trafficked out of the five local government areas that make up Oro nation. In a research material released to LAGOS WEEKEND, the NGO said, “based on an independent investigation conducted by the organisation, it was discovered that some abandoned children who were usually found roaming areas like Oron Motor Park, Army Primary School Premises, Oron Main Market, Afang beach, Akilu Street, Aba Street, among other places, have suddenly disappeared.” The organisation further revealed that investigation into the disappearance of the children showed that a particular church in Oron (name withheld) has over some months now acted as a collecting centre for a notorious child trafficking group based in Aba and that the said church uses the name of deliverance in abducting the children claimed to be witches and wizards.

The research, the group further said, revealed that the Aba-based syndicate comes to the church every month-end on tarry night and after the so-called deliverance exercise, the “delivered” children are parked into awaiting bus and taken to an undisclosed location in Aba where the children are either shipped to Gabon or other places as slave children. It further revealed that the law enforcement agencies including the divisional police headquarters in Oron and the commissioner of police, Akwa Ibom State, have frowned at the activities of the church and its agents (name withheld) and have invited them for further investigation. It will be recalled that some weeks ago, the law enforcement agency nabbedaparticularwomanbased in Aba for alleged trafficking of some children from Oron to Aba. The said woman had in her statement to the police confirmed that the children were from a church in Oron for further deliverance in Aba.

     <<Back