Operatives of the Amotekun Corps in Osun State have apprehended a suspected inter-state child trafficker, identified as Isaac Okonu, who allegedly brought four underage boys and one 23-year-old, Dominick Udoh, from Akwa Ibom State to Osun to work as laborers.
According to a statement signed by the spokesperson for the Amotekun in Osun State, Yusuff Idowu, the vehicle carrying the suspect and the victims was intercepted in the Ifetedo Area of the state.
The 23-year-old suspect, also from Akwa Ibom State, reportedly enticed the victims out of their state with promises of jobs in Lagos without the consent of their parents.
However, it was discovered that the suspect intended to take the victims to Ajebandele village in Osun to use them as laborers on farms.
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The statement further reads:
“The operatives of Osun Amotekun Corps on Thursday, February 29, 2024, around 6:45 pm arrested a young man Isaac Okonu, 23 years old, from Akwa Ibom State for trafficking five young boys to Ajebandele in Osun State without the consent of their parents or relatives.
“The suspect was arrested by the men of Amotekun in Ifetedo after the driver of the vehicle that transported them from Akwa Ibom to Osun State lodged a complaint with Amotekun Ifetedo Command in Ife South Local Government and Amotekun Ife Area Commander. The operatives swung into action immediately and arrested the suspect on the spot.
“The suspect confessed to trafficking the boys without the consent of their parents or relatives. Isaac said he met the young boys in the motor park in Akwa Ibom State begging for money, and he told them if they could follow him to Lagos State, he could provide jobs for them. He took them without the consent of their parents or relatives and moved them down to Osun State heading to Ajebandele before luck ran against him in Ifetedo…
“The suspect and the victims have been transferred to the National Agency For Prohibition On Trafficking In Person (NAPTIP) Headquarters, Osogbo, for further interrogation and prosecution.”
