Police Arrest Human Trafickers – Rescue Victims

Operatives of the Nigeria Police in Lagos State have arrested two suspected human traffickers and also rescued ten girls who were about to be trafficked.

Gatekeepers News reports that the police apprehended the human traffickers when they were about to traffick their victims to different countries in West Africa.

The victims said the kidnappers lured them with a promise of juicy employment in neighbouring African countries.

The Command’s spokesman, spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, while parading the suspect on Thursday, said that they were arrested by the operatives of the Crack Squad of the state command which was led by CSP Uba Adams. 

The suspects who were identified as Chike Aniebonam, 42, and Donald  Ojikote, 55, abducted the girls from Imo, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Abia, and Ogun state.

Hundeyin said, “The Crack Squad of the Lagos State Police Command, situated in Gbagada got the intelligence that a syndicate that specializes in abducting teenage girls and selling them to their partners in neighbouring countries and we got to work and within a week, we got enough information and swung to action with the arrest of the two suspects in the Mazamaza area of Lagos.”

“The children are between the ages of 16 and 23 years of age. We have already established contact with the parents and the relatives of the victims.  In a matter of hours now, we will hand them over to their relatives.”

He further said the force is working “with Interpol to arrest their international collaborators and other members of the syndicate.”

One of the victims, whose name is Godslove said that she and her younger sister, Ifonobong, were introduced to members of the syndicate by their former neighbour.

She said, “We have a former neighbour, who still communicates with us. When we told her that we needed a job, she assured us that she had a sister outside of Nigeria who had a big restaurant and could get us a job.”

“That was how we were introduced to these people (suspects)  and we were waiting to be taken there when we were arrested.”

Another set of sisters; 19-year-old Success and 17-year-old Chioma, said that they were introduced to members of the syndicate by their aunt after their parents died.

Chike Aniebonam, one of the suspects told journalists that his job was to take the abducted girls to the different West African countries.

He said “I have only taken the girls to Togo, Ghana, Ivory, and Republic of Benin. I am only a driver. I got a call from one of my customers to help bring the girl to Benin Republic.” 

“That was not the first time that I will be taking girls to her. I used to help her carry a load too. From some of the waybills that she sent, she is into sales and supply of foodstuffs. She also operates a restaurant.” 

Hundeyin stated that the force will work with necessary government agencies to ensure that the suspects are prosecuted by the law.