Gombe Activist Prosecuted for Threatening Demonstration against NAPTIP
Segun Awofadeji in Gombe
A Gombe State-based activist, Musa Ali Maishanu, who is the North East Regional Coordinator of a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Global Pan-Africanism Network Nigeria (GPAN), has been detained and prosecuted by the police in the state for allegedly threatening to organise a demonstration against the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
Speaking with journalists yesterday, lawyer to the activist, 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 State, and married off when she became an adult without the consent of her mother.
According to him, his client, through his group (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.
He said: “She was taken to Adamawa State by one woman since she was a little child who later lied to 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 State for identification. The mother recognised her at once and the culprit confessed to have trafficked the girl and apologised over her act.
“However, when the group head 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 Nuhu threatened that demonstration would be organised against the NAPTIP to demand justice for the girl.
“Thus, NAPTIP reported him to DSS who detained him, handed him over to the police CID who later arraigned him before Chief Magistrate Court 8 in the state.”
