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ASABA—DELTA State Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, yesterday, said it rescued 22 children suspected to be from South-East states of Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi from suspected child traffickers in Warri.

Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Kevwe Agas, who disclosed this in Asaba, said the victims were allegedly being exploited through street begging in Warri by seven women, who allegedly faked blindness.

Agas said: “FIDA drew our attention to the fact that there were some children on Airport Road, Warri, begging, and that three of them went specifically to a lady that sells close by who told them that some women brought them to Warri to beg, but that they told their parents that they were bringing them to school.

“And since they came to Warri, they have been begging and sleeping on the streets. In addition to FIDA, our officers went to the police and we got the police to arrest them.

“We rescued 22 children and arrested seven women, who feigned blindness. Upon investigation, we discovered that the women were not even blind but were just feigning it and using the children to beg on the streets.

“So we brought them to Asaba and we are taking them to the police headquarters.

We are going to reunite the children with their families in their respective states. The children are from Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia states. That is what we have been able to establish.”