Koudougou: The municipal police arrested, this Monday, a suspected child trafficker, along with five minors aged 14 to 16, from Godyr, in the province of Sanguié. The arrest followed a statement from the victims’ parents, reporting the disappearance of their children. Rapid investigations by the municipal police led to the interception of the group as they were preparing to board a plane for a gold mining site in Mali.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the arrested individual, also from the same locality as the children, said he had been contacted by fellow gold miners in Mali. He allegedly convinced his young cousins to follow him, without their parents’ knowledge, in the hope of financial gain.
Following the interrogation, the municipal police chief, Patrice Bonkoungou, ordered the suspect’s transfer to the Regional Directorate of Child Protection for further legal action. The five children, from the same family, are expected to be reunited with their loved ones soon.
This is the third operation i
n three months in which the Koudougou municipal police have neutralized individuals involved in the recruitment of children for exploitation on gold mining sites. Director Bonkoungou praised the collaboration of the population, whose vigilance and information were decisive for the success of the operation.
This new intervention illustrates the constant commitment of the Koudougou municipal police in the fight against child trafficking and the protection of minors.