Crime
Immigration Rescues 5 Human Trafficking Victims, Arrests 1 in Lagos
Their plans were thwarted as they were apprehended by patrolling personnel at the Pashi checkpoint.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, in collaboration with the Lagos Seaports and Marine Command, have rescue five women who were victims of a human trafficking scheme at Pashi checkpoint in the Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The victims, all of whom are female and fall between the ages of 15 and 23, were successfully rescued at 9:30 am on Wednesday.
At a press conference held on Thursday, August 24, 2023, Comptroller Mohammed Saddiq, who heads the command, said that the victims had been intercepted, among them was a 26-year-old woman named Mrs. Blessing Anireta, none of the intercepted individuals possessed any form of identification or means of sustaining themselves.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that three of the victims who hail from Abia, Akwa Ibom Plateau states were transported from their respective locations through the point of embarkation under the pretext of getting them legitimate employment in Mali, Benin Republic and Cote d’ Ivoire,” Saddiq stated.
“In their separate statements, the unsuspecting first-time travelers said they were connected to a member of the syndicate in Lagos who coordinated all transportation arrangements to the intended countries of destination,”
“As of the time of the press briefing, the suspect is still at large. But we are on the trail to apprehend him and other members of the syndicate.”
The head of the immigration division said that while recounting their ordeal, two of the victims, who accompanied Anireta from Delta State, testified that they were lured into embarking on the journey without their parents’ consent.
He stated that upon questioning, they openly admitted that their destination was Mali. However, their plans were thwarted as they were apprehended by patrolling personnel at the Pashi checkpoint.
“Upon profiling, it was further established that Anireta facilitated the unsuccessful journey with the intent to engage her companions in prostitution in their country of destination,” he added.
“The victims, whose ages range between 15 and 23, will at the end of the session, be handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons alongside the arrested suspects for further investigation.
