National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has handed over 12 children rescued from traffickers to Niger State Government. Director General, NAPTIP, Binta Bello, who handed over the children to the state Governor, Muhammed Bago, yesterday, in Abuja, said the children were trafficked from their homes in Magama Local Council Area of the state and were being trafficked to Maine Saroua (DIFFA) in Niger Republic.
  
The DG explained that the children and their traffickers were intercepted by men of the Nigeria Immigration Nigeria (NIS) on patrol at the Nigeria-Niger border in Yobe state.
  
“The information we got was that they were being taken to an Islamic school in Niger. I asked the commissioner a while ago, are there no Islamic schools in Niger State? And he affirmed that there are many, many Islamic schools in Niger State.”

“So my advice to the government of Niger State, is that they should counsel the parents and these children, they should rehabilitate them and ensure that they register them in Islamic schools that also teach Western education so that they can benefit from the two,” Bello said.
  
In his remarks, Bago said the state government would step up public enlightenment so that parents could understand better the damaging impact of handing over their children to individuals not trustworthy.
  
Represented by the Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Ahmed Yumu, the governor said: “This is something that we have to pay proper attention to as a government, to make sure that things, most especially about our children, are given serious security priority and observation.”