The Oko-Olowo axis of Ilorin, the state capital, has seen the arrest of three suspected human traffickers by the Kwara State Police command.

The suspected traffickers were identified by the police command as Musa' Ayuba, 44, Jeremiah Muda, 35, and Luka Ayuba, 37, all of Banji Village and residents of Kotongora town in Niger state.

They were allegedly arrested with 41 children between the ages of five and fifteen, consisting of 22 boys and 19 girls.

According to a statement released on Saturday in Ilorin by SP Okasanmi Ajayi, the spokesman for the state police command, they were stopped while waiting for a vehicle that was supposed to take them to their destination in Ilorin.

According to Okasanmi, "on January 14, 2023, at 0400 hours along the Okolowo expressway, a detachment of policemen on special security assignment intercepted the trio of Musa Ayuba, 44, Jeremiah Muda, 35, and Luka Ayuba, 37, all of Bangi village via Kotongura, Niger State, with 41 young boys and girls (22 boys and 19 girls) with their age ranges between five and fifteen years

The statement continued, "The children are currently in the police command's custody, while efforts to contact the state Ministry of Women's Affairs, as well as contact with the children's parents and guardians, are ongoing."

Paul Odama, the state Commissioner of Police, advised parents and guardians to avoid releasing their children to unknown or dishonest child traffickers because the children might be used as house helpers or in other abominable ways, which is against the laws regarding children's rights.

After a thorough investigation, the spokesman said, the suspects arrested in the case would be charged to court.