Ede Dafinone, senator representing Delta central, has asked the police and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to check the rising cases of child abduction in the Agbarho community under the Ughelli North LGA of the state.
In a statement on Thursday, Dafinone described the trend as heartbreaking and a dangerous development that must be urgently tackled.
“Every missing child is a future we cannot afford to lose,” the lawmaker said.
“I share in your pain, and I will not relent until safety is restored to Agbarho and all of Delta central.”
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Dafinone sympathised with grieving families whose children have been abducted but cautioned residents against jungle justice.
“While the frustration of the people is understandable, jungle justice is not the solution,” he said.
“Taking the law into our own hands risks the lives of innocent persons and further undermines our collective pursuit of justice.”
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He urged security agencies to intensify patrols and intelligence operations, noting that the recent rescue of eight trafficked children in Delta showed that proactive policing could yield results.
“The time to act is now,” he said.
“We need tighter surveillance, stronger community policing, and coordinated efforts to dismantle any syndicates behind these abductions, whether for ritual purposes or trafficking.”
At least six children, mostly between ages three and 10, have gone missing from the Agbarho community in recent months.
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The crisis escalated in June after four children were reported missing, leading to protests by women in the community.
On September 24, a mob lynched a woman accused of attempting to abduct a child, an act Dafinone condemned as jungle justice.
