All the police want from me is money –Sojine, father of three-year-old girl stolen overnight

June 14, 2014

Blessing, Anani and Akuvi

Sojine Ananis, the 28-year old father of stolen three-year-old child, Blessing, was released by the police after spending nine days in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos for taking a neighbour he suspected of stealing his child to a seer.

keneinspiration.blogspot.com had last week reported how Blessing was stolen through the window of a bedroom where she slept with her mother and two siblings on May 26, 2014 in the middle of the night.

Blessing has not been found and each passing day, the agony of her parents increases.

The aggrieved father was bitter and at the same time depressed. His voice quaked as he spoke with our correspondent.

He said that with the disappearance of his child, a part of him was dead.

Blessing was the apple of his eyes and nothing anybody would say could console him. The young man has become dishevelled and does not seem to care much about his appearance. He said he had not bathed for days.

He lamented, saying “What does anybody want to tell me? That my child would be found? My child has been missing for more than two weeks. Who would help me? Is it such a bad thing to come to Nigeria to make a living for myself and my family? My family has been abandoned to our woes.

“The police that were supposed to help me locked me behind bars. May God judge those policemen. I have nobody but God who would judge them. All they want is money, they have told me nothing and they don’t seem to be looking for my child at all. My only prayer is that my daughter would end up in the hands of a childless person, not a ritualist. I don’t want to imagine that my child has been killed.”

Sojine said he had been unable to sleep or eat much since his daughter’s disappearance and to compound issues, the health of Blessing’s grieving mother, Akuvi, seems to be deteriorating everyday.

“My wife can no longer stay in Nigeria because she is going mad with grief. I am sending her and my other two children back to Togo so that they can be taken care of by my parents,” he said.

However, our correspondent learnt that Sunny, the Ananis’ neighbour whom they suspected of carrying out the theft of their daughter, is still in police custody.

Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, said investigation was still ongoing in the case.

Why people steal children

Emphasis has always been on just child trafficking in Nigeria. Experts say much of the child trafficking in the country occurs in collaboration (either ignorantly or otherwise) with the families of the concerned children.

But with child theft or abduction, the mode of operation seems to be changing.

A 2011 study by the Global Financial Integrity states that the trade in human beings represents more than $31bn of international trade.

In Nigeria, the motives behind the increasing trade in children are multi-faceted, our correspondent learnt. Even though the relevant authorities our correspondent asked could not provide any data on the connection of international cartels to this business in Nigeria, it was learnt that children are kidnapped for four main reasons; money/power ritual, domestic slavery, backdoor adoption and sexual slavery.

Child rights activist and founder, Esther Child Rights Foundation, Mrs. Esther Ogwu, who is the leading social worker handling the Ananis’ case said like others she had handled in the past, such families call upon her in desperation so that she could help find their children.

“The truth is that I cannot do the police work. Our job is to hold relevant agencies accountable and ensure they do their best for the victims’ families.

“I have come to realise that the underlying reason for child theft is money. Those who steal children do so because they are aware there is a market for such children.

“But why someone would buy a child may be another matter entirely. Some buy children for ritual purposes, and some for domestic slavery. The third reason is for those who truly want a child. Buying a child is an attractive prospect to the stressful adoption process for some. This is usually the case when the victim is a baby.”

Another child and women rights activist and Executive Director of the Project Alert on Violence Against Women, Dr. Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, shares of similar views. She said in addition to the quest for power, money, and child slavery, some dangerous politicians were behind child theft.

“There is a recent case in Calabar (Cross River State) of a woman who was driving along and some kidnappers grabbed her child from the car window. She held on to the baby and she was even dragged out of the car with the baby. But she refused to let go. That is how bad things have become in Nigeria today,” she said.

Social commentator and lecturer, Dr. Jideofor Adibe, believes the incessant case of abduction in the country is a symptom of a deeper problem.

“The common tendency is to blame the wave of kidnapping on the rate of unemployment, inefficient and corrupt police force that is ill-equipped and collusion between kidnappers and politicians. They are mere symptoms of a larger malaise. They are symptoms of a failed or failing states,” he said.

Available laws are not enforced – Lawyer

The Child Rights Act, promulgated in 2003 provides the legal guide in a case pertaining to the welfare of the Nigerian child.

Section 27 (1) of the law says: “No person shall remove or take a child out of the custody or protection of his father or mother, guardian or such other person having lawful care or charge of the child against the will of the father, mother, guardian or other person.”

The law prescribes a term of 20 years in cases where the child is taken out of the country with no intention of returning him or her. If taken out of the state where the parents are resident, the CRA prescribes a prison term of 10 years upon conviction or seven years for any other circumstance of unlawful removal of a child.

Lawyer and social commentator, Mr. Malachy Ugwummadu, is of the opinion that the extant laws concerning children in Nigeria are enough to protect them if indeed they are enforced.

“The laws are not optimally utilised,” he said.

“It will not be correct to say that the legal status of the protection for children in the country is inadequate. Even if we discountenance these laws, we still have institutions that can fight against such criminal trade.

“These are criminal activities that have debased our humanity and collapsed our social values. A time is coming that we would have a generation of children who would have so many questions that won’t get answered. By then, the country would answer for not protecting them when it should.”

He connected the increasing child theft business in Nigeria to the insufficiency of the basic survival needs.

“Child theft is a rampant development now but by the time we start to grapple with its consequences, Boko Haram will be a child’s play,” Ugwummadu said.

The Nigerian child, an endangered species

The issue of children in developed societies is sensitive and well guarded, which is why crimes such as abduction, kidnapping and abuse of children are taken very seriously.

Boldly stamped on the website of the US’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, are the words: “No missing child will be forgotten,” but experts say children are not treated with such importance in Nigeria.

Child rights activists, who spoke with our correspondent are of the opinion that Nigeria’s political leaders don’t seem to recognise the important position of children in the society.

Founder of the Children Anti-Corruption Initiative, Mr. Omololu Akinwande, whose organisation is on a campaign to raise the status of children in Nigeria, said a country that would be truly great has a tremendous responsibility towards children.

“Every child must be precious to this country. Only when government takes the issue of children seriously can it be sure that the future of Nigeria is secure. Government is simply not doing enough, which is why abuse and all kinds of crimes against children continue to fester. Children are victimised and exploited on a large scale in Nigeria.” Akinwande said.

Ogwu and Effa-Chukwuma also believe that children are not viewed as very important in Nigeria.

“The problem is not always the law but the enforcement. Laws are there but what are we doing with them? There is the Child Rights Law and before that, there had been laws on protecting children. What are the concerned agencies doing? Why are reports about exploitation of children on the rise?” Effa-Chukwuma asked.

Many parents careless about children – Child rights activists

The Ananis’ case, like other cases of abduction referenced in the first part of this report, has prompted varying opinions about the security of children in Nigeria. Many stakeholders on children welfare say that many parents are to blame for the exploitation and negative treatment of their children in the society.

They refused to heap all the blames on government agencies, saying many parents are simply complacent.

A psychologist, Mr. Abiodun Sowemimo, explained that lawmakers and law enforcement agents have more to do to protect the Nigerian child.

“Perhaps, it is the huge population of Nigeria that seems to prevent us from seeing the grave danger that lies ahead as a result of the neglect of children in the society. You go to some neighbourhoods and you see children literally littering the streets. Parents must take care of every child they produce. A stolen child that is never found has been failed by the government and society,” he said.

According to Ogwu, Akuvi could not be seen as careless since she was simply sleeping in the same room with the children when the child was stolen.

“Any method could have been used to keep her asleep. We have heard of some chemicals that make this possible. The only advice for people is that even if your landlord does not put in place burglar-proof bars on your windows, you have the duty to secure your family and belongings by putting such things in place especially in areas without much general security,” she said.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Christianah Fate Foundation, Mrs. Christianah Akindolie, explained the economic situation of the country contributed to the general neglect of children in Nigeria.

She said, “Parents are too busy nowadays because of the economic situation in the country. Some allow their children to wander about without care.

“It is not peculiar to low income families. Even rich families are guilty of this. Some families travel all over the world leaving their children to the care of housekeepers. Some of such children are abused and never tell their parents.

“Many parents are careless about their children. Some are not even conscious of the many dangers facing children in the immediate environment,” she said.

Her opinion is that the extant laws protecting children should be enforced, while individuals should complement government’s efforts at protecting children.

Effah-Chukwuma said Nigeria has simply lost its sense of responsibility to children.

“Every Nigerian child is an endangered specie. An average Nigeria child is not protected.” she said.

The recurrent reports of child abduction, abuse, exploitation and slavery shows that the country is not getting it right in matters that relate to children, she believes.

The South-West Zonal Coordinator of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Mr. Joseph Famakin, who said the issue of child theft is under the purview of the police, believes that there is a general loss of value.

“Unlike in the past when parents were really concerned about the welfare of their children and would do anything to secure them, many parents nowadays are mostly concerned about creating wealth and making money rather than catering for the utmost welfare of their children,” he said.

Child theft, big danger sign for Nigeria – Sociologist

A Sociologist, Mr. Michael Ahibogwu, said Nigeria urgently needs to become more proactive in its fight against child theft.

“The rise in child theft is because there is a rise in demand for children. Crime comes with a trend. At a time, there was a rise in certain types of vehicles. This is because there was a demand for that type of vehicles in certain places.

“The same thing is applicable to the issue of child theft. Rituals is one of the reasons people steal a child. Some have insinuated that it may have to do with the coming political season in the country when some politicians do a lot of rituals.

“There is a cultural reason for the rise too. Some steal children in order to bypass the legal route to adoption. It is a big danger sign for the society. The relevant agencies need to be vigilant because the perpetrators are very wise.”

We are doing our best to stop child theft – Police

Imo State in the South-Eastern part of the country is seen as a transit hub for stolen children. But the police command in the state defended itself.

Spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, told our correspondent that the trade in children had reduced in recent times as a result of a strategy put in place by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulmajid Ali, since his resumption in February.

Enwerem said, “The commissioner of police put together a strategy to capture the kingpins of the cartels responsible for child thefts in the state. As I am talking to you, many of those kingpins have been charged to court while many are still under investigation.

“Few days ago, we arrested a syndicate that stole a child from Lagos. They were arrested on their entry into the state. That is to tell you that our interstate borders are also being monitored. This is no longer a safe place for child thieves.

“I do not agree that the police generally in Nigeria are not doing much to curb the business of child theft. Apart from fighting the crime itself, we enlighten parents on how to secure their children.”

Because many children have been abducted from Lagos, our correspondent asked the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Ngozi Braide, to shed light on police efforts at curbing the trend.

Braide on her part, said parents push much of their responsibilities to the police.

She said, “Our proactive strategy in combating these kinds of crimes is to reorient parents on being security-conscious. Not long ago, I was on a street in GRA, Ikeja and saw siblings aged five and three walking aimlessly about. I asked of their names, school and ages. How can any parent allow such children to wander about like that? The danger is not even kidnapping alone, what about accidents?

“I am not aware that children are being stolen and taken to other states but I know that parents have a lot to do to secure their children. We are doing a lot of awareness in this direction. Parents need to teach their children basic security tips.”