Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Emir of Kano, Muhamad Sanusi has rebuked some parents in the state over their care-free attitude to their children, insisting that the parents of the nine abducted children ought to have been prosecuted for act of negligence.
The monarch spoke at a public lecture on drug abuse, which was organized by the League for Societal Protection Against Drug Abuse at the weekend in the state.
The emir, who categorically condemned the abduction of the children, however, stressed that their abduction would not have been possible if the affected parents had not allowed the children in the streets without a guardian.
“People are talking that Igbo kidnapped our children. Yes, they did. But did they enter your house and steal them or you left your three-year-old child to be roaming the streets?” he asked rhetorically.
The emir observed that they are always in the habit of blaming other people for their problems when they should have also blamed themselves.
He assured his audience that he was in contact with the Obi of Onitsha adding that they had held a lot of useful discussions on the issue.
Sanusi, therefore, enjoined parents to always pay attention to the wellbeing of their children.
In her remarks, the Coordinator of the League, Maryam Hassan, highlighted the challenges facing the girl-child in the region while observing that more women and girls in the region were into drug abuse because of forced marriages and the pressure of an unwelcome marital relationship.