Operatives of Amotekun Corps in Osun State have arrested a suspected inter-state child trafficker identified as Isaac Okonu who allegedly brought four under-aged boys and one Dominick Udoh, aged 23 years, from Akwa Ibom State to Osun to work as labourers.
In a statement signed by Amotekun spokesperson in Osun State, Yusuff Idowu, obtained on Saturday in Osogbo, the corps said the vehicle conveying the suspect and the victims to Osun was intercepted in Ifetedo Area of the state.
The 23-year-old suspect who also hails from Akwa Ibom State, reportedly lured the victims out of their state with the offer of jobs for them in Lagos without seeking the consent of their parents.
It was however learnt that the suspect intended to take the victims to Ajebandele village in Osun where he planned to use them as labourers on farms.
The statement further read partly,
“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 complain to 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 the 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.”
