A Kano State High Court on Tuesday ordered the remand of the owner of an Asaba Orphanage Home, Mr. Ogugua Christopher, in a correctional centre over allegations of kidnapping and trafficking hundreds of children from Kano to Delta State.
Christopher, a resident of Asaba, Delta State, is facing a 15-count charge alongside two others — Hauwa Abubakar and Nkechi Odlyne — for alleged conspiracy and child abduction.
The offences contravene Sections 97 and 273 of the Kano State Penal Code and Section 32(5) of the Children and Young Person’s Law of Kano State.
According to court documents, the defendants allegedly conspired between June 21, 2016, and December 20, 2021, to abduct several children from Kano and sell them in Delta State.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, the prosecution counsel and Kano State Solicitor-General, Mr. Salisu Muhammad-Tahir, informed the court that the two co-defendants, Abubakar and Odlyne, were absent.
He apologised for their non-appearance and requested an adjournment to ensure their presence, while urging the court to remand Christopher in custody.
However, defence counsel Mr. Gideon Uzo pleaded that his client be kept in the custody of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) instead of a correctional centre.
Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu rejected the plea and ordered Christopher’s remand in a correctional facility.
She also directed NAPTIP to ensure the arrest and production of the other two defendants at the next hearing.
The judge adjourned the case until October 27 for further mention and commencement of trial.
The case stems from a petition filed in December 2022 by the Protection Against Abduction and Trafficking of Our Children (PATAMOC), which reported the disappearance of over 600 children from Kano since 2010.
Eight of the missing children were later rescued.