Gombe Activist Detained, Prosecuted For Threatening Demonstration Against NAPTIP

BY NAJIBULLAHI ADAMU

A Gombe State based activist Comrade Musa Ali Maishanu who is the North East Regional Coordinator of a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) called ‘Global Pan-Africanism Network Nigeria (GPAN) has been detained and prosecuted by the police in the state for threatening to organize a demonstration against the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

Speaking with our correspondent yesterday, lawyer to the activist Barrister Ibrahim Ambore Nuhu said his client threatened NAPTIP with protest for allegedly refusing to treat with justice, a case of a 27 year old woman Hauwa’u Musa popularly known as ‘Ladidi’ in the state who was taken from the state since when she was a little girl to Adamawa, married off when she became an adult without the consent of her mother.

According to him, his client through his NGO GPAN, on receiving the case handed it over to NAPTIP because it had to do with girl trafficking for investigation and necessary action alleging however that the agency released the culprits involved in the case on the same day without taking appropriate action.

“She was taken to Adamawa by one woman since she was a little child who later lied to the her mother that her child died in Cameroon where she travelled with her. The mother accepted the event in good faith as death is inevitable.

“Recently, the mother uncovered that the girl is still alive and was married in Adamawa State. In view of that, she was brought to Gombe for identification. The mother recognized her at once and the culprit confessed to have trafficked the girl and apologized over her act.

“However, when Comrade got the complaint, he handed it over to NAPTIP because it was a case of trafficking but instead of investigating the matter, he alleged that they discharged the culprits the same day. It was as a result of it, that he threatened that demonstration would be organized against the NAPTIP to demand justice for the girl.

“Thus, NAPTIP reported him to DSS who detained him, handed him over to police CID who later arraigned him before the Chief Magistrate Court 8 in the state”. He stated.