SOLDIERS RESCUE 69 CHILDREN FROM TRAFFICKERS IN ABUJA

—SOLDIERS of the Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, Abuja, manning security in the Federal Capital Territory and environs, have arrested four suspected human traffickers and rescued 69 children. The 69 children, who were being taken to an unknown area, were rescued in Masaka, a suburb of Abuja. The rescued children were said to have been handed over to the National Agency for Prohibition in Trafficking Persons and other related offences, NAPTIP, in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital, for further investigation, just as the suspects were taken into police custody. The Guards Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Yusuf Musa, who confirmed the development to newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, said the victims, whose ages ranged between six and 10 years, were intercepted at a military checkpoint in Masaka by the 177 Guards Battalion, Keffi. Speaking on the development, Commanding Officer, 177, Lt. Col. Garba Muhammed, said: “The suspect claimed he was taking the children to a Quranic school, but we asked him further questions, which he could not satisfactorily answer. “He has been handed over to the police, and the victims have been taken to NAPTIP.” ***prbxselfnetwork***