A Nigerian pastor, Simon Kado; his relative, Jesse Simon-Kado, and their driver, Muhammad Isah, for child trafficking in Abuja.

The three suspected were arrested by operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command attached to the Rapid Response Squad 74 on Friday while e trafficking 12 underaged children – eight girls and four boys aged between five to 16 years, from Nasarawa State to Ogun State.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, made the development known in a statement on Saturday.

Adeh said, “Operatives of the FCT Police Command attached to the Rapid Response Squad 74, on Friday, February 9, at about 12:55 am, intercepted one Muhammad Isah, male, of Kafanchan, Kaduna State in a Toyota Hiace bus with Reg No APP 489 XE, conveying twelve; four male and eight female; underaged children to a destination later discovered to be in Ogun state.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the children whose ages are between five years to 16 years, all from Akwanga LGA, Nasarawa State were being trafficked to Ogun state by one Pastor Simon Kado, male, and Jesse Simon-Kado, male, who are now presently in police custody.

“While the investigation is still ongoing and efforts in conduit with Nasarawa State Police Command on how to reunite victims with their respective families, the Commissioner of Police FCT, Benneth Igweh, wishes to reiterate that the safety of residents remains his utmost priority.”

The FCT has been experiencing a surge in kidnapping and bandit attacks lately.

In January 2024, operatives of the Special Intervention Squad, Federal Capital Territory Police Command, neutralised three notorious bandits in a forest within the Bwari area of Abuja.

Within the same month, a kidnap kingpin identified as Janari, who was said to have masterminded several kidnappings within Kaduna State and Abuja, alongside some of his foot soldiers were killed during operations conducted by the air component of Operation Whirl Punch in Kaduna state.

In another development, a petroleum products dealer based in Akure, Ondo State capital, Sesan Adelabu, reportedly macheted his wife, Bolu Adelabu, to death in their residence at Alagbaka GRA area of the city on Friday.

After killing his wife, Adelabu, popularly known as Emirate, the name of his retail outlet, was said to have committed suicide by drinking a poisonous substance, suspected to be an insecticides

The officer of the Special Protection Unit from the A Division Station in Akure, attached to his residence on Friday evening received a distress call from the deceased’s son who said he had been calling him on phone severally, and he’s not picking the calls.

On entering the house, the policeman discovered Adelabu’s lifeless body on the floor in the toilet, while the remains of his wife was found on the bed, with several matchet cuts; with an empty bottle of the insecticide on the floor.

The remains of Adelabu and his wife have since been evacuated to the mortuary by the police.

A news release from the Spokesperson of Ondo State Police Command, SP ‘Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya confirmed the incident.

She noted that the State Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Oladipo, has ordered the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department to take over the case.

According to Omisanya, investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances leading to the unfortunate incident, adding that the scene has been cordoned off to enable police do the needful.

No family member of the deceased couple has spoken on the incident as at the time of filing this report.