48 children missing taken out of the State – Governor raises alarm over insecurity

48 children missing taken out of the State – Governor raises alarm over insecurity

Governor Inuwa Yahaya has warned of deepening security concerns in Gombe State, revealing that dozens of young children are allegedly missing while critical infrastructure faces increasing sabotage.

Speaking Friday at the launch of the state’s Ramadan palliative distribution in Gombe, Yahaya painted a picture of mounting threats that he said require urgent collective action.

The governor disclosed that 48 children between the ages of two and five have allegedly been taken out of the state, though he did not clarify when the incidents occurred.

“From the available records, 48 Gombe State children between the ages of two and five have been stolen from the state to other parts of the world,” he said.

“Their parents are here within the state. For the children, we don’t know if they would be found or not.”

He cited a recent abduction attempt following the relaxation of a motorcycle ban. “With the relaxation of the motorcycle ban, a boy was stolen at Orji Estate but thankfully, he was rescued.”

Yahaya urged residents to treat security as a shared responsibility, stressing the need for vigilance and cooperation with authorities.

“We must take serious measures to tackle these emerging threats and restore peace in the state. Before now, Nigerians were living in peace, why was it so? What is now missing and what are we supposed to do? We need to evaluate things today and do what we ought to do, no matter how tough,” he added.

The governor also revisited his administration’s crackdown on metal scrap trading, a move he said was designed to curb vandalism and theft but drew resistance from affected traders.

According to him, some individuals lobbied religious leaders to oppose the restriction, arguing that scrap dealing was their source of livelihood.

Yahaya maintained that the policy was necessary to address frequent motorcycle theft and improve overall security.

Beyond the issue of missing children, the governor lamented the vandalism of key public assets, including the N26 billion Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park. He said electrical installations linked to the Dadin Kowa Dam had been tampered with and some equipment stolen.

The incidents, he suggested, reflect broader criminal activity undermining development efforts in the state.

The security concerns were raised during the inauguration of a Ramadan assistance programme targeting 70,000 beneficiaries.

The initiative is expected to support physically challenged persons, religious organisations, orphanages, party support groups and other vulnerable residents.

Yahaya directed the distribution committee to ensure transparency and equity in the rollout.

“The items must be distributed within the next three days, including rice, macaroni, spaghetti, oil, sugar, among other items,” he said.

By linking alleged child abductions, economic sabotage and infrastructure vandalism, the governor framed the challenges as interconnected threats warning that without firm measures and community cooperation, peace and development in Gombe could be at risk.