Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 64,000 pump action gun cartridges and a new pump action gun at a store located at Success Line, marine modern market, Onitsha, Akwa North Local Government Area of Anambra State. The discovery, which led to the arrest of an arms dealer, Donatus Onyemachi Igwebudu 34 years, followed credible intelligence on drugs and arms deals in the location. Supported by the Nigerian Army, NDLEA operatives stormed the store on Wednesday and moved the arms and ammunition to the NDLEA’s office in Akwa, the state capital. NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed the incident on Friday revealed that the agency also intercepted 34 children being trafficked from Ijebu-Ode in Ogun to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. “The minors packed in two commercial buses, Toyota Sienna and a 12-seater Mazda with registration numbers Lagos LND124FV and Oyo BDJ-683YK respectively, were recovered in the early hours of Thursday, 16th December from the human trafficking syndicate,” Babafemi said.
“The bus drivers confirmed that the kids were handed over to them by a woman at Ijebu-Ode to be conveyed to Abuja, adding that on arrival in FCT, the woman is to call another bus driver who will convey the children to Riyom in Plateau State.”
Babafemi also said the children were initially trafficked from Plateau State to Ijebu Ode, where they are distributed to different households as domestic servants. Adding that some of the children were discovered to have served for up to two years and their wages sent to a female agent in Jos.
“While commending the officers and men of Anambra and Kogi state commands of the Agency for their vigilance and preparedness to work in synergy with other security agencies in their areas of responsibility, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them to sustain the tempo.”
“He also directed that the and ammunition along with the suspect arrested in Anambra be transferred to the police while the 34 trafficked children are to be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP for further investigation.”
