Malam Isa Hassan Alasan is a father of 21-months-old Hauwa’u, who went missing on July 1, 2016 at Walalanbe in Hotoro North, Nassarawa local government area of Kano State. Popularly known as Hidaya, little Hauwa’u was taken away by strangers.
Hidaya’s mother had dressed her up around 6:30pm, and the toddler went outside to meet her brothers who were playing outside. But a few minutes later, the little girl was whisked away, Alasan told Daily Trust, adding that when he returned home from work, he received the shocking news.
“I quickly reported the case to Badawa Police Station, but up till today, I have not heard anything about her again, not from the police, ward head or Hisbah office, where I also reported the case to. I went to so many places in search of my daughter, but it’s all in vain, as we still have no clue regarding her whereabouts.”
“Seven of us whose children were missing were taken to the Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi, where we explained the situation to him, but up till now there’s no news,” Alasan said.
Malam Saminu Abdullahi of Haye, also in Hotoro North, is still searching for his two-year-old daughter, Aisha Humaira, who also went missing while playing with her brothers one afternoon. It is 23 days now, the sad father explained: “All I heard is that she was taken away by a strange man and woman. I was at my place of work when the incident occurred. My wife informed me on phone and I went straight to the police station and reported. I know about seven people whose children have gone missing in this area within a month. And believe me, none of us is satisfied with explanations of the authorities. We have lost confidence in them.”
Another resident who also fell victim, Malam Sahrumi Yusuf of Tinshama area in Nassarawa local government, whose two-year-old son Abubakar Sadiq went missing, said he had searched and reported everywhere, but his efforts have not yielded any positive results. It is now 12 days since the youngster vanished, without a trace.
Yusuf said he had lodged his complaint to relevant authorities including Police, Hisbah and the office of the ward head of the area, but so far there is nothing tangible.
Like Yusuf, Malam Ahmadu Abdullahi also has a missing two-year-old son, Abubakar, missing in Walalanbe. He attested that the issue of missing children has become rife, as it is a regular occurrence in the area, almost on a daily basis.
For Malam Buba Abubakar, it is also a two-year-old child, Yusuf, who went missing, since the 2nd of July. All efforts to trace his whereabouts have yielded no results, and he insists he will not relent in his efforts. “We have now resorted to rigorous prayer, seeking for divine intervention because the issue is becoming something else. Hardly a day will pass without hearing about a missing child or two in this area. We are tired, that is why we resorted to prayers so that God can expose those behind this evil.”
These are few out of many parents whose children are missing in Kano State, from June till date. Daily Trust has observed that cases of missing children are prevalent in areas like Wuro-Bagga, Walalanbe, Haye, Tinshama and Hotoron-Arewa, Sauna, Na’ibawa, Ladanai and Gunduwawa. Residents of these areas have expressed concern over the all-too-frequent cases, just as they have called on the state government and the police to come to their aid.
A resident of Walalanbe, who pleaded for anonymity, told Daily Trust that over 30 children went missing from five communities in July alone, noting that until government and other concerned authorities do something, the situation will continue to worsen, as the perpetrators go on abducting children. “They are too many,” he said.
As a result, parents have become stricter, restricting movement of their children even within their own communities. Malam Mansur Dahiru, a resident of Walalanbe, whose two-year-old son went missing about a month ago, said parents in the area are subjected to a lot of psychological trauma. He added that for about a month now, he has been living in great pain not knowing if his son is dead, or alive.
Dahiru said: “There are many families whose children have gone missing in the past one month. We suspect there are ritualists around this area, as the kids are believed to have been taken away by a mysterious woman.”
Another resident, Malam Abdu Usman, lamented living in fear, “Because no one knows what will happen to his children.”
The Ward Head of Walalanbe, Alhaji Tukur Yusuf, said he receives cases of missing children almost every day and in his capacity as community leader, he reports to the District Head of Nassarawa and Turakin Kano, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero, who also tabled the matter before the emirate council for further action.
Yusuf added that so far five children, under the age of three, have been confirmed missing in his area, adding that there abound, also, reports of missing youngsters from neighboring communities.
Daily Trust learnt that two persons, a man and a woman suspected to be responsible for the crimes, were apprehended and handed over to police at Hotoro Divisional Police Office by members of affected communities for further investigation.
Newly-posted Police Commissioner in the state, Alhaji Rabi’u Yusuf, has identified kidnapping as one of the major crimes he will accord priority.
Alhaji Abdulrashid Garba Nasir, a village head of Na’ibawa, also attested that cases of missing children are rising in his domain, saying he receives between 5 to 6 cases of missing children every day. “Even today (Thursday, August 4), from 7:00am to 2:00pm, I have received four cases so far. Most of the children are between the ages of 8 and 11,” he said.
Nasir blamed parents for negligence, lamenting that some of the victims should not even be allowed to wander about unsupervised. “Sometimes we find such children, and sometimes we cannot. We have some who have remained missing for months now,” he told Daily Trust.
A visit to some private radio stations within the state metropolis indicated that cases of missing children are spiking. At Express Radio, it was confirmed that between 11th and 30th July 2016, 10 cases of missing children were reported. According to a source, who does not want his name in print because he is not authorised to speak on behalf of the management of the station, “These are the few cases that were recorded. Some cases were directly referred to our programme Duniya Tumbin Giwa because when such cases were reported at the time of airing the programme we normally refer them to the producers.”
The source added: “It gets worse during festive periods like Sallah.”
Another ward head in Sauna area of Nassarawa local government, who preferred anonymity, said last month an 8-year-old who went missing in Sauna area was later found after he escaped from ritualists. “Although the boy could explain how he escaped, we noticed a date boldly written on his forehead, which suggested an execution date,” he said. He also added that last Friday (July 29, 2016), three unidentified females visited a house along Gidan Gabas Street in this area where they demanded a child from a girl. “They threatened to kill her if she refuses to give them the child, but as God would have it, the girl refused and raised alarm.”
“The girl screamed for help and the three females quickly left. Residents chased after them but they could not be apprehended,” he said.
Professor Garba Ibrahim Sheka of Bayero University Kano (BUK) expressed worry over the trend, during the inauguration of a forum, known as the Eminent People Forum by the Kano State Commissioner of Police. He said parents are on edge due to the rising cases of child abduction which are rampant in the state.
Professor Sheka blamed harsh economic conditions being experienced across the country, saying the government should continue to make efforts to create jobs that will keep youths away from crime.
Police Public Relations Officer of Kano Police Command, DSP Magaji Musa Majia, said as far as police is concerned, there aren’t such incidents in Kano, adding that in the past two months, only a lone case was recorded. “Even if it is happening, people are not reporting it to police and if such cases are not reported, there is no way we can tackle the problem. It not late for the victims to forward their cases to us, so that we can join hands in addressing the problem. If we have reports, we can determine whether they are abductions or not. I am therefore advising people to always report such cases to the police and they should avoid taking laws into their hands. Parents should also avoid sending their children for errands, especially in the evenings or early mornings.”
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