The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has raised the alarm over the alleged recruitment of children by criminal gangs to distract motorists and facilitate theft in Abuja.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, A.M. Sanusi, disclosed that some children, including those from other states, are allegedly brought into the nation’s capital and used as decoys during robbery operations.
According to him, the children approach motorists under the guise of begging or seeking assistance, while other members of the gang use the distraction to steal valuables from vehicles.
“These children have been recruited by these bigger ones. They would be the ones that will stop the vehicle or approach you as if they’re begging you for something, distracting you, so that when you are paying attention to them, these other ones will be stealing from your vehicle from the other side,” Sanusi said.
The commissioner said some of the children have told police investigators that they were paid between N500 and N1,000 after assisting the criminal gangs.
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He added that many of the minors were allegedly brought from other parts of the country and “dumped here for just this purpose.”
Sanusi further revealed that police investigations had uncovered cases involving children allegedly linked to serious theft and violent attacks.
He cited an incident in which a woman’s ear was reportedly torn while suspected thieves attempted to remove her earrings.
“We’ve gotten some of them that were responsible for removing a woman’s ear because they wanted to remove earrings, pulled it and the ear cut. Yes, that’s how bad they operate,” he said.
The police commissioner said authorities were taking steps to rehabilitate the children and, where possible, reunite them with their families through social welfare programmes.
He explained that the minors were also being questioned to help the police identify the individuals allegedly recruiting and directing them.
Sanusi said police were offering the children money as an incentive to provide information about the criminal gangs behind the operations.
“While we also talk to them and give them the same N1,000 or N500 to tell us who is sending them to do the job. So that’s what we are doing. That’s why we are here,” he said.
The revelation has heightened concerns over the exploitation of vulnerable children by criminal networks and the growing challenge of street-related crime in Abuja.
The police urged motorists and residents to remain vigilant, particularly when approached by strangers around busy roads and traffic points, while assuring that investigations would continue to identify and prosecute those recruiting children for criminal activities.
