TheCable

A girl identified as Joy Emmanuel has been rescued in Sokoto after being reportedly caged for eight months.

The victim, who was rescued by the police, looked very emaciated when she was found.

She has, however, been taken to the hospital for observation.

In a statement on Friday, Amiru Adamu, spokesperson for the Maryam Mustapha Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (MMAWT) Legacy Initiative — a non-governmental organisation founded by the wife of the Sokoto state governor — said two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has also taken up the matter.

“The girl is Joy Emmanuel. The uncle and aunt are Mr and Mrs Emmanuel Bassey. They have been arrested and are presently detained at the police headquarters,” Adamu said.

“The girl is under observation at the specialist hospital. They claimed that she was caged due to mental illness. NAPTIP is involved in the investigation.

“At present, the MMAWT Legacy Initiative has taken over the welfare of Joy Emmanuel, the girl found caged for 8 months in Sokoto, where it was obvious she had no food to eat, no money to buy drugs and pay for some tests.

“We await the resolution from NAPTIP on this matter and express our gratitude to the female former parliamentarian who is also standing up for the rights of persons against DV, SGDV and all forms of ABUSE who alerted us!”