The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has defended its recent arrest of two suspected child traffickers with 44 minors in Kaduna State after a church faulted the action.
The United Church of Christ in Nigeria (HEKAN) last Friday said the arrested adults were Sunday School teachers with pupils on the way to a camp programme.
The church added the children were on their way to attend the HEKAN National Sunday school camp in company with their teachers when they were arrested by the FRSC officials.
However, the Corps Public Education Officer, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on phone the travellers were held after the two adults failed to satisfactorily explain their movement.
“The vehicle was actually meant to carry load but they carried children inside.
“On interrogation after arresting them for overloading, the two adults there could not explain satisfactorily where they were taking the children to.
“At that time we didn’t have any choice than to believe they were traffickers and that was why we handed them over for interrogation, simple as ABC.’’
But Vice President of HEKAN, Rev. Emmanuel Nama, dismissed the FRSC’s story as “false and baseless’’ and demanded public apology from the Corps.
But Kazeem ruled out any apology, saying the FRSC did not pass judgment on the suspects as insinuated by the church.
“No apologies at all because the essence of investigation is to find out … and that is why we said ‘suspected traffickers’, we didn’t say they were traffickers.
