The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has rescued 17 victims from suspected child traffickers in Nyanya, Abuja.

Spokesperson of the FRSC, Assistant Corps Marshal Olusegun Ogungbemide, in a statement said the traffickers were intercepted with the victims last Saturday by a patrol team from the Nyanya Unit Command, in a white Sharon vehicle with registration number SHD 253 YU.

He said preliminary investigation showed that the vehicle was travelling from Shendam, Plateau State, to Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Ogungbemide said the interception followed the alertness and professional judgment of the team, whom he said “observed an unusually high number of passengers, comprising 17 young boys and girls crammed into the vehicle, with two minors concealed in the vehicle’s boot.

According to him, the situation raised suspicion of possible human trafficking.

“Subsequently, the Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State Command, Shetima Jauro Mohamed, ordered that the rescued young persons be taken into protective custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Lafia.

“The CP directed a comprehensive investigation to dismantle any network connected to the suspected trafficking attempt,” Ogungbemide said.

The Corps Marshal of FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, said rescue of the victims clearly demonstrates that the Corps was not only about traffic control, “but about saving lives in every sense of the word, as officers of the Corps are trained to be vigilant, humane, and responsive to suspicious movements on the highways.”