Tuesday, July 27, 2010

POLICE SAVE 29 PERSONS FROM TRAFFICKERS (PAGE 11, JULY 27, 2010)

AN attempt by two suspected human traffickers to recruit 29 persons from the Upper East Region to the southern part of the country to engage in menial jobs has been foiled by the police.
The suspects, a male and a female, who were found moving along with the children, as well as the driver of the bus on which the children were about to travel, have been arrested by the police to assist in their investigations.
The driver, whose identity was not disclosed by the police, has been cautioned and granted bailed.
The Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chief Inspector Ebenezer Tetteh, who briefed the Daily Graphic, said the man had been identified as Aba Ani Akaba, 34 while he gave the woman’s name as Abanin Akapri, 31.
He said the victims were picked up from various locations in the Upper East Region and aided to purchase tickets for a Metro Mass Transit bus en route to Accra.
He said they were then loaded onto the bus, with registration number AS 9908 Y on Saturday morning and set off towards Tamale.
“Upon a tip-off from the Upper East Regional Police, we mounted a search on the Tamale-Bolgatanga route and this resulted in the interception of the bus when it got to Tamale Airport Junction,” Chief Inspector Tetteh stated.
He said the victims, aged 19 and below, were suspected to be heading towards the south to engage in ‘Kayayei’ and other forms of exploitative labour.
He said the police had aided them to return to the Upper East Region and noted that the suspects would be interrogated to enable the police expose other agents who might be behind the trafficking.
Chief Inspector Tetteh commended the public and the media for blowing the whistle regarding the attempted incidence of trafficking and noted that such effective police and public relationship could save more people who faced the risk of being trafficked by unscrupulous persons.

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