By RAMATU GARBA

The owner of Asaba Orphanage Home, Mr Ogugua Christopher was on Monday arraigned before a Kano State High Court for allegedly kidnapping two Kano children.

Christopher, who lives at Asaba, Delta, is standing trial alongside two others: Hauwa Abubakar and Nkechi Odlyne, on four count charge of Kidnapping and wrongful concealment of minors.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Prosecution Counsel, Ms Khadija Aliyu-Umar, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on June 21, 2016, and May 1, 2016, at Tishama Hotoro Quarters and Kawo Quarters, Kano, respectively.

She alleged that on June 21, 2016 at about 10:00 a.m. at Tishama Hotoro Quarters the defendant kidnapped Maryam Suleiman, 4, and wrongfully kept and concealed her in his orphanage home know as Happy home.

Aliyu-Umar further alleged that on May 1, 2016, at about 10:00 a.m., the defendant also kidnapped a four-year-old boy, Ibrahim Nura, from Kawo Quarters, Kano, and concealed him in the same orphanage.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the prosecution had earlier filed a 15-count charge, which was later amended and substituted with a four-count charge.

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene Sections 273 and 277 of the Penal Code Law of Kano State.

The Defence Counsel, Mr H M Nwoye, applied for bail on behalf of his client and urged the prosecution to provide all necessary case documents.

Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu ordered that the defendant be remanded in a Correctional Centre and directed the prosecution to furnish the defence with all relevant documents.

The judge adjourned the case until Nov. 12 for hearing.

NAN reports that Suleiman Muhammad, a Senior Intelligence Officer with the NAPTIP, informed the court that efforts were ongoing to produce the two other defendants, Abubakar and Odlyne, who were not present in court.

NAN reports that the case followed a petition filed in December 2022 by the Protection Against Abduction and Trafficking of Our Children (PATAMOC) to NAPTIP, over the alleged disappearance of more than 600 children from Kano since 2010, out of which eight children were later rescued. (NAN)