§ Mr. AMMONasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to a passage in the Annual Report on Nigeria for 1934, in which it is stated that the practice of child stealing and slave dealing in children is prevalent in certain provinces of Southern Nigeria; and what steps are being taken to combat this practice?
Mr. THOMASYes, Sir. The Police were engaged during 1934 on the investigation of child stealing and slave raiding in the South-Eastern Provinces, and a number of cases were brought before the courts. At the end of the year the investigations were being continued, but the results have not yet been reported. I may mention that in 1932, the Government of Nigeria decided to increase the maximum penalty for child stealing and slave raiding from seven to fourteen years.