Ex-lawmaker in child-trafficking row

Ex-lawmaker in child-trafficking row

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A Former Member of the House of Representatives and currently a member of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Hon. Paul Adah, has been accused of trafficking in children and is alleged to have stolen a set of twins to be raised as his children.

A group called the South-South Coalition for Justice and Democracy has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend Hon. Adah from the board of NDDC and place him under investigation, whilst calling on NAPTIP to arrest and prosecute the ex-lawmaker.

Hon. Adah who represented Obudu/Obanliku/Bekwarra Federal Constituency was said to have “conspired with some unknown persons to traffic in children, [whose] activity resulted in a set of twins that he parades as his children.”

In a petition received by the NAPTIP on August 25th and signed by one Johnson Ugah and addressed to the Director General, National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the petitioner claimed that “it was clear that the paternity of these children is questionable and in serious doubt.”

Ugah alleged that it was impossible for Paul Adah’s wife “to deliver the twins without any visible sign of pregnancy only for her to resurface months later with those babies.”

He stated:

“It is possible to prove that these children and some of the children that are from agents that front for baby factories spread all over the South East of the country. It is noteworthy, sir, that those that are involved in these criminal activities can only be labelled as hardened criminals as it is inhumane to buy or sell children.

“It is unfortunate that society has degenerated into such degrading acts as people who ought to be custodians of our laws are the ones who actually break them with impunity and without conscience. I submit here that it is most fortunate that science has provided society with… DNA [testing]which [can]determine the paternity of [children].”

Ugah urged NAPTIP authorities to demand serious inquiries into these allegations, saying that it was dangerous to allow these trend to continue.

Efforts by our correspondent to get Adah on phone for his response proved unsuccessful as at the time of filling this report.

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