“Former Gang Member Sosa Henkoma: A Victim of Child Criminal Exploitation”

– “young child recruited by drug dealers”
– “drug dealers targeting children”.

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Former Gang Member Reveals Decade-Long Exploitation by Criminal Gang

Sosa Henkoma, a former gang member, has come forward to share his story of being exploited by a criminal gang for over 10 years. Henkoma, who was recruited at the age of nine, was forced to traffic guns and drugs between London and Liverpool. He endured numerous violent incidents, including being stabbed 11 times and shot at twice. Only after being convicted and jailed did authorities recognize him as a victim of child criminal exploitation.

Henkoma’s story is part of a BBC North West investigation that has uncovered alarming statistics about child exploitation by gangs in England. According to data from the Department for Education, over 40 children per day are being referred to social services as potential victims of gang exploitation. The number of referrals increased by 42% in the year ending April 2023. The north-west of England, with 2,100 cases, has the highest number of referrals outside of London.

Shockingly, fewer than 10% of these potential victims received support or protection from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), a government framework designed to assist at-risk children. A report shared exclusively with the BBC highlights the failures of understaffed, overworked, and poorly trained councils and police in providing adequate support for exploited children. The Children’s Commissioner for England describes these findings as “only the tip of the iceberg.”

Henkoma, who came to England from Nigeria when he was eight years old, was already in the care system due to severe abuse at home when he was recruited by the gang. Unaware of the criminal nature of his actions, he was asked to deliver packages for the gang in South London. When he was sent to Margate on the Kent coast, he realized he was being used as a drugs mule for a county lines operation. Threatened at gunpoint by a rival gang, Henkoma sought help from social services but was dismissed as “fantasizing.”

Feeling trapped and without any support, Henkoma returned to the gang for protection. They taught him how to deal drugs and gave him a gun when he was just 12 years old. Over the years, he became deeply entrenched in gang life, enduring multiple violent incidents and adopting the street name “The Devil That Walks On Earth.” He was eventually arrested at the age of 14 and charged with possession of firearms and causing grievous bodily harm.

The turning point for Henkoma came with the birth of his daughters. Determined to save himself and provide a better life for his children, he sought change. While serving his second prison sentence, he was assessed by a psychiatrist and identified as a victim of grooming. Through the NRM, he was placed in a safe house in Manchester.

The report by the Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (Ecpat) charity, in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, emphasizes the inadequacies of police and council resources in identifying at-risk children, making referrals to the NRM, and supporting child victims. The charity’s CEO, Ms. De Souza, calls for a comprehensive and overarching child exploitation strategy and a shift in viewing these children as victims rather than criminals.

The Local Government Association acknowledges the challenges faced by cash-strapped councils in providing support for vulnerable children. Councillor Louise Gittins, chair of the association’s Children and Young People Board, emphasizes the urgent need for funding to ensure all children and their families receive the necessary support.

Henkoma has managed to turn his life around through intensive therapy and is now studying for a degree in criminology and sociology. He actively works with anti-trafficking charities, mentoring at-risk young people, and provides training to professionals on how to work with victims and young people at risk of child criminal exploitation.

The Home Office acknowledges the importance of protecting children from abuse and promises to do more. They are investing up to £5 million over three years to support victims of county lines exploitation and their families.

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1. “drug dealers recruited me”
2. “nine when drug dealers recruited me”.