Gombe rescues 59 trafficked children following transport policy reform

At least 59 children have been rescued from suspected human traffickers in Gombe State within the last eight months, following the introduction of a new transport policy that brought all motor parks under centralised security surveillance.

The Director-General of Gombe Line Transport Service, Dr. Sani Sabo, disclosed this on Monday while reviewing the impact of the reform. 

He said the policy, which led to the establishment of the Ibrahim Dankwambo Mega Park, has significantly improved security checks and helped authorities uncover several criminal activities, including child trafficking, drug smuggling, and illegal arms movement.
“We intercepted drugs, illegal weapons, and rescued 59 children from human traffickers within eight months,” Dr. Sabo said. “These operations were possible because every vehicle and passenger can now be traced through the Mega Park’s manifest system.”

Dr. Sabo explained that the achievement was made possible through collaboration among security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, NDLEA, NAPTIP, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who now operate closely within the central transport hub.

Under the new transport policy, the Gombe State Government merged all motor parks into a single coordinated facility to curb unregulated operations and close security gaps that traffickers and criminals previously exploited.
According to officials, most of the rescued children were intercepted while being moved out of the state by traffickers posing as legitimate transport operators.

At least 59 children have been rescued from suspected human traffickers in Gombe State within the last eight months following a new transport policy that centralised all motor parks under stricter security monitoring.

Gombe rescues 59 trafficked children following transport policy reform