Rescued from human traffickers in Togo, three-year-old Nigerian waits in vain for parents
By Sesan Olufowobi
Published: Saturday, 3 Jan 2009

Abu’s age, mien and deportment all bespoke a hapless three-year-old boy in search of motherly love. But all the efforts made to locate his mother since he was rescued in November last year have been fruitless.
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Abu

The police in Togo had rescued Abu from child traffickers and handed him over to officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service, but they had no idea of his parents’ address. They therefore decided to hand him over to the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Offences (NAPTIP).

At number 15, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos office of NAPTIP, Abu has become the darling of the agency’s official. Most of them were moved by pity to dote on the toddler, but that would hardly be a sufficient substitute for the motherly care a toddler deserves.

Since he was brought to NAPTIP’s office in November last year, the only thing that the officials of the agency have been able to get from him is his trademark smile. According to the Head of the Lagos office of NAPTIP, Mr. Godwin Morka, the officials of the NIS who brought Abu had two letters with them; one from the NIS and the other from the Nigerian Embassy in Togo. The one from the NIS, which was signed by the Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Seme, Hamaid I.Y, describes Abu as a victim of human trafficking, while the one from the Nigeria Embassy in Togo, which was signed by Mr J. E Wagbara, explains that Abu was brought to the embassy by a Terres des homms (motherless home). The letter describes Abu as a Nigerian Child who was stranded in Togo.

Saturday Punch learnt that the police in the French speaking West African country rescued Abu from a woman. The woman was arrested and taken to court, where she was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, while Abu, who was rescued from her, was taken to the immigration office at the Seme end of the Nigerian/Benin border.

If NAPTIP thought that locating Abu’s parents would be an easy task, they were wrong. The head of investigation of the agency, Mr. Mustapha Ajara, told our correspondent that officials of the agency had been sent out to locate Abu’s parents but their efforts were fruitless. He said, “We have two things going for us. One, the woman that was arrested said she got the child with the consent of his parents in Seme-Zango. She said the mother’s name is Foussena. Two, we had two telephone numbers belonging to the said parent.”

Saturday Punch gathered that the woman from whom Abu was rescued insisted that she did not steal him but got him from his mother. She was also said to have given two telephone numbers, +2348074134913 and +2348080433745, through which Abu’s parents or relations could be reached.

However, none of the information given by the woman has helped NAPTIP in its bid to locate Abu’s parents or relations. Morka said his men resorted to calling the two telephone numbers hourly for several days without results. “But we got lucky last week. I called the numbers and the second number rang. A woman picked the phone and I introduced myself to her. I told her about the child and explained that we needed to see her to establish his identity and do other necessary things. But the woman did not understand much of English and so could not understand most of the things I said.

“I asked if there was anybody I could talk to and she gave the phone to someone who I suspected was her husband. I explained again, but the man said I was a 419ner. I think I managed to convince him that I am a government official. He then said that he did not know the boy. After a long discussion, he promised to help me check the Hausa community in Seme-Zango where he said he was living. He said I should call back the following day.

“When I called him the following day, the phone was switched off. I kept trying but when the phone rang, nobody picked it. But I have been able to ascertain from the service provider that the location of the phone is Seme-Zango,” he said.

Efforts made by our correspondent to get information from Abu also failed. While he readily gave his name as Abu, when asked his father and mother’s names, he responded Baba and Mama, the Yoruba words for father and mother. “Apart from that, this three-year-old child knows nothing else,” Morka said.

When our correspondent visited Seme border to talk to the immigration officials who handled the case initially, they admitted that they knew about Abu’s case, but none of them was willing to be quoted. One of them told our correspondent that since NAPTIP had taken over the case, it would be better to talk to the agency. “But we know about Abu, he is a sweet child,” he said.

Saturday Punch also sought to know why the woman from whom Abu was rescued was not repatriated so that she could take Immigration or NAPTIP officials to his parents, officials of both agencies said the Togolese government was not willing to release the woman. A NAPTIP official said, “We are not surprised. That is their usual reaction. Many of our sister security agencies in West Africa do not want to see eye-to-eye with us on this issue. They will tell you that they have punished the suspects and it will be injustice to lay our hands on them again, because we might inflict another round of punishment on them.”

Meanwhile, Abu is being taken care of by officials of NAPTIP. Mustapha says his behaviour has been normal. “Even the older victims of human trafficking are competing to take care of him,” he said

But Morka said the agency would launch an all out manhunt for Abu’s parents next week. “We plan to go to Seme-Sango and get the members of the Hausa community there to help us. We will also work with the immigration and other relevant agencies. We are hopeful that Abu will join his parents soon,” he said.

But he said that if everything else failed, the toddler would be taken to a motherless babies’ home.

“We cannot keep him for ever,” he said.

what do we do to help boys like this?