Help, our children are being stolen, Kano women say

Hundreds of women and young men on Thursday marched to Government House in Kano to protest alleged rampant cases of missing children in the state.

Mainly married women, grown up girls and some boys, the protesters arrived the venue where the office of the state governor is located chanting “We are tired of theft our children, government should do something about it”.

The protesters, who said they were from Hotoro, Kawo, Kawon Mallam and Kawon Maigari, said that they could no longer tolerate their children being stolen.

Two of the leaders of the protesters, Halima Abubakar and Aisha Abubakar, accused a woman of being behind the theft of the children.

They said they had complained severally to law enforcement agencies but that the security authorities had done nothing tangible to check the menace.

At the Government House, security officials held back the protesters, saying the governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, was not around to receive them.

They advised the protesters to select representatives to meet the governor when he returned to town.

There had been reported cases of missing children in Kano, but the Police said they were on top of the situation.

Speaking on the development, the spokesman of the governor, Salihu Yakasai, told PREMIUM TIMES on phone from Abuja that the state government has adopted various measures to tackle abductions in the state, especially of children.

Mr. Yakasai said the measures include getting communities involved in maintaining security.

He said the government has also continued to procure equipment for security agencies, citing 27 vans recently presented to the state police command.