By Peter Dansu A woman and her husband who reportedly operate a local medical clinic in the Badagry area of Lagos State have be...
By Peter Dansu
The Lagos State Government disclosed the development on Wednesday following its bimonthly security meeting with heads of security and paramilitary agencies in the state.
The Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said child theft and trafficking had emerged as one of the major security concerns discussed at the meeting, with the Badagry axis identified as an area where several reported cases had been recorded.
Salu-Hundeyin said the case involving the woman had already been taken to court, making it impossible for her to disclose further details while the matter was before the court.
“One of the touching ones is child theft, people who steal other people’s children, go and sell them, and this is so sad,” she said.
She added that the suspect operates a clinic and allegedly carried out the activities in conjunction with her husband.
“She even has a kind of clinic. She does it in conjunction with her husband,” the SSG said.
According to the SSG, available reports presented during the security meeting showed that a significant number of reported child theft incidents were concentrated around the Badagry axis.
She attributed the situation partly to Badagry’s location as a border community, noting that the area could provide criminals with easier escape routes after committing offences.
The state government, she said, would therefore intensify security measures around the division, including the provision of more security lighting in vulnerable areas.
“We now know that we have to put more security lights in that area,” Salu-Hundeyin said.
She explained that the government was studying available security data to understand why child theft and trafficking cases appeared to be concentrated in Badagry and other affected communities.
The government has also asked the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, to provide accurate statistics on reported child trafficking cases across the state.
The statistics, according to her, would include convictions, pending cases and the locations where reported incidents occurred.
Salu-Hundeyin said reliable data would help the government establish the pattern of the crimes and develop more effective measures to tackle child theft and trafficking.
She said relevant government ministries and agencies, including the Ministries of Youth and Women Affairs, were also working together to address the growing concern.
“When we are talking of children, we are talking about the future of the country, the future of the state,” she said.
“It is very saddening that people will do that to innocent children, and so we are not taking it easy.”
The SSG further disclosed that the state government had increased the frequency of its security meetings with heads of security and paramilitary agencies from quarterly to bimonthly.
“It’s no more quarterly. It’s bimonthly now. We meet more often because we realise that security issues are so important,” she said.
She explained that the more frequent meetings would enable the government to monitor emerging security threats more closely, improve coordination among security agencies and respond faster to developments across the state.
The government is also engaging local government secretaries, who are expected to work with Community Development Committees and Community Development Associations to identify and report security concerns at the grassroots.
The Police Community Relations Committee is also being involved in the process as the government seeks stronger community participation in the fight against crime.
Salu-Hundeyin said security remained a major priority of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, stressing that the government would continue to strengthen measures aimed at keeping Lagos safe and ensuring residents could go about their daily activities without fear.
The disclosure has further drawn attention to the security challenges confronting the Badagry division, particularly concerns surrounding child theft, trafficking and the movement of criminals through the border corridor.
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