Evangelist Busted For Child Trafficking To Kuwait

Emmanuel Ashatey and Evangelist Margaret Nabista

TWO SUSPECTS are assisting the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Tema Regional Police Command in investigations into attempts to traffick 15 children to Kuwait and Jordan under the guise of evangelism.

Suspects Nabista Margaret, a 33-year-old evangelist who resides at Kpone and her accomplice, Emmanuel Ashitey, were said to have recruited the children whose ages range from 15 to 20 years from Dambai in the Volta Region. They reportedly hid them in Kpone for onward trafficking under the guise of evangelism.

The police have charged the two suspects with child trafficking.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Beatrice Z. Vib-Sanziri of the Tema Regional Police Command said the police, acting on intelligence, arrested Nabista at her hideout on Tuesday at about 3pm.

She noted that Nabista transported the children from Dambai to Kpone under the pretext of evangelism in order to send them to Kuwait and Jordan to be exploited.

According to the Regional Police Commander, during interrogation the suspect said the children willingly decided to follow her to Kpone and outside the country because they were interested in winning more souls in Kuwait and Jordan for God.

Further investigations, DCOP Vib-Sanziri pointed out, revealed the passports bearing the names of the children, adding that 'It was only after police found the passports that the main suspect confessed to recruiting the kids and preparing to traffick them to Kuwait and Jordan.'

She added that suspect Ashitey, who was assisting Nabista to traffick the kids, was also arrested upon tip-off.

The commander stated that the victims have been relocated to a shelter and efforts are being made to unite them with their families.

According to her, the case is under investigation and the suspects would soon be arraigned before court.

She took the opportunity to commend informants whose efforts helped in the prompt arrest and possible prosecution of the suspects and appealed for more of such collaboration from the public so as to help rid the region of miscreants.

She further cautioned parents against releasing their children to people who come with juicy promises of better future since the children end up being sexually exploited and abused by their hosts.

 From Vincent Kubi, Tema