The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Human trafficker

  • NAPTIP arrests suspected human trafficker

    The Benin Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested a suspected human trafficker, who escaped from Delta State.

    The Commander in the zone, which comprises Edo and Delta states, Mr. Nduka Nwanwenne,

    in a statement in Benin yesterday, said the arrest of the 29-year-old suspect followed a midnight operation by the command on November 10.

    He added that the suspect was eventually arrested at Uwheru in Ughelli North Local Government of Delta State.

    “An earlier attempt two weeks ago to arrest the suspect met a brick wall, as he escaped through the roof and jumped into a river,” the commander said.

    “The suspect was alleged to have trafficked a 14-year-old primary five pupil of Udu Primary School, Uwheru, to his sister in Mali.

    The sister handed over the victim to another woman who exploited her.

    “According to members of the victim’s family, before the journey from Nigeria, the victim was made to believe that she would work in a supermarket.

    “However, in Mali, she met other girls clad in pants and bra in a house, who were also being exploited.

    “The victim was equally to be given pants and bra and forced to meet with male customers,” the zonal commander said.

    He added: “Her objection earned her beating and denial of food until she succumbed after a few days.

    “However, her earnings were collected by the madam and upon pressure from the victim’s parents on the suspects, they were forced to release the victim back to her parents.”

    Nwanwenne said the command began investigations into the issue immediately a complaint was lodged by the victim’s family.

    He said investigation was on to arrest other accomplices.

  • Court jails human trafficker in Edo

    An Edo State High Court has sentenced Ehigie Richard to seven years imprisonment for trafficking fellow Nigerians to Russia.

    Richard was arraigned for recruitment of a person by means of abuse, position of vulnerability and facilitation and exportation of persons for prostitution, contrary to various provisions of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.

    He was said to have recruited one woman, identified simply as Miss X, and trafficked her to Russia, where she was exploited.

    A statement by the Zonal Commander of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nduka Nwanwenne, said the victim was taken to a shrine, where an oath of secrecy was administered on her and was asked to pay back $55,000 for between six months and one year.

    Nwanwenne said the victim was warned not to run away or report her madam in Russia to the police of the failure to pay the money or the oath would make her go mad.

    He said the case against the accused was investigated in collaboration with the Joint Border Task Force (JBTF), a multi-disciplinary crime fighting task force.

    The statement said: “On arrival in Russia, her phone and international passport were seized by her madam, Bridget, and her boyfriend, Kingsley. The madam allegedly opened a website for prostitutes for the victim, where her information and pictures were downloaded.

    “Customers usually check and call for appointments. A notebook was procured for the recording of all earnings. Similarly, the victim was made to pay 10,000 Rubble for rent and 50,000 Rubble to service the website.

    “Before the victim threw in the towel, she had paid $40,000 to her madam. On the day the victim escaped, her madam went out to shop. She used the opportunity to run to one of her Russian friends who took her to the Nigeria Embassy in Moscow before she returned to Nigeria.”

    Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Alero Edodo-Erauga said the law must have its way, despite the fact that the accused pleaded for leniency and did not waste the time of the court.

    The judge sentenced the accused to one year imprisonment on count one or a fine of N250,000 and to two years imprisonment each for other counts or a fine of N1 million on each count.

    The jail terms are to run concurrently.

    NAPTIP’s Director-General Dame Julie Okha–Donli said suspected traffickers must face justice for their crimes.

    She urged human traffickers to desist from their nefarious acts and redirect their energy to positive ventures.

     

  • Court jails human trafficker in Edo

    An Edo State High Court has sentenced Ehigie Richard to seven years imprisonment for trafficking fellow Nigerians to Russia.

    Richard was arraigned for recruitment of a person by means of abuse, position of vulnerability and facilitation and exportation of persons for prostitution, contrary to various provisions of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.

    He was said to have recruited one woman, identified simply as Miss X, and trafficked her to Russia, where she was exploited.

    A statement by the Zonal Commander of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nduka Nwanwenne, said the victim was taken to a shrine, where an oath of secrecy was administered on her and was asked to pay back $55,000 for between six months and one year.

    Nwanwenne said the victim was warned not to run away or report her madam in Russia to the police of the failure to pay the money or the oath would make her go mad.

    He said the case against the accused was investigated in collaboration with the Joint Border Task Force (JBTF), a multi-disciplinary crime fighting task force.

    The statement said: “On arrival in Russia, her phone and international passport were seized by her madam, Bridget, and her boyfriend, Kingsley. The madam allegedly opened a website for prostitutes for the victim, where her information and pictures were downloaded.

    “Customers usually check and call for appointments. A notebook was procured for the recording of all earnings. Similarly, the victim was made to pay 10,000 Rubble for rent and 50,000 Rubble to service the website.

    “Before the victim threw in the towel, she had paid $40,000 to her madam. On the day the victim escaped, her madam went out to shop. She used the opportunity to run to one of her Russian friends who took her to the Nigeria Embassy in Moscow before she returned to Nigeria.”

    Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Alero Edodo-Erauga said the law must have its way, despite the fact that the accused pleaded for leniency and did not waste the time of the court.

    The judge sentenced the accused to one year imprisonment on count one or a fine of N250,000 and to two years imprisonment each for other counts or a fine of N1 million on each count.

    The jail terms are to run concurrently.

    NAPTIP’s Director-General Dame Julie Okha–Donli said suspected traffickers must face justice for their crimes.

    She urged human traffickers to desist from their nefarious acts and redirect their energy to positive ventures.

     

  • I abandoned my children for Libya trip – Victim

    I abandoned my children for Libya trip – Victim

    One of the four ladies rescued from a human trafficker, Ganiat Ajijola, arrested by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command, over the weekend, has disclosed that she abandoned her two children for her husband in order to pave way for botched Libya trip.

    The victim, Cecilia Bankole, 26, a hair dresser stated that her husband, name withheld, resisted her plan to abandon her children in search of Golden Fleece to Libya.

    The mother of two children aged 2 and 4 years respectively, noted that when the issue was discussed with her husband initially, he disagreed with the plan, “I told my husband to allow me to go so that I would have an opportunity to raise funds for the family. I pleaded with him but he insisted in having the custody of his children. Although, I am a hairdresser but not done my freedom, going to Libya to work as artisan would enable me raise funds for my freedom as well as take care of my family. Even, when my mother pleaded with him that she would be taking care of the children while I will be away, he still declined. However, after much persuasion, my husband threatened me to have the custody of his children after my departure and I must not look back for them,” she added.

    She explained that the human trafficker refused to open up for them how long they would stay in Libya.

    “The trafficker didn’t tell us the number of years we are going to spend in Libya. She only told us the due date of the passport and that we are going by road,” the innocent mother said.

    Expressing a contrary opinion, Mrs Maria Bankole, the victim’s mother and a prophetess in a white garment church in Alagbado, said that, what Ganiat Ajejola told her was that her daughter would be re – united with her after two years.

    “I was informed of a big madam, whom Ganiat Ajejola was working for in Libya needs hairdressers to help her manage her shop. Upon hearing that my daughter will be going abroad, I volunteered my daughter because she is a hairdresser. I begged her husband but he declined to allow her go on the trip but I have prayed about it and God said she should go. That is why I am encouraging her,” she said.

    According to her, “I followed her to the point where they were arrested because I want to know Ganiat Ajejola before their departure. I am not aware they were going by road. They told me Ganiat was taking them to Abeokuta to arrange an international passport for them.”

    The operatives of the RRS whom were on the trail and surveillance of the human trafficker for two weeks before her arrest, hinted that they acted based on a tip–off from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

    The rescued victims and the human trafficker have been immediately transferred to National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Person (NAPTIP).

  • Police nab suspected human trafficker in Jigawa

    Police nab suspected human trafficker in Jigawa

    The Police Command in Jigawa, has arrested a 60-year old woman suspected human trafficker with 12 victims in Kazaure Local Government Area of the state.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr Usman Tilli, made the announcement on Thursday in Dutse while parading the suspect and her victims to newsmen.

    He said that the suspect, who gave her name as Hajiya Ladi Dahiru, was nabbed on Tuesday with 12 young girls below the age of 13 in Kazaure by policemen attached to Safer Highway Patrol.

    He said that the suspect claimed to have taken the girls from their various villages to attend Islamiyya Schools in Kabala Doki, Kaduna State.

    Tilli said that some of the children were from Jigawa while others were from Falle Village in Kunchi Local Government Area of the state.

    “Based on our investigation, the parents of the victims whose ages range from nine to 12 years handed over their daughters to the suspect with the believe that they were going to Islamiya School in Kaduna.

    “But further investigation revealed that the suspect only had a room and parlour in Kaduna where she used the young girls for dubious act,” he said.

    The police boss said that the suspect would be handed over to the appropriate agency for prosecution after the police had concluded their investigation into the case.

  • Human trafficker gets 10 years jail term

    A Benin socialite, Mrs. Eunice John Ayegidi, has been sentenced to a  10-year imprisonment for human trafficking.

    Mrs. Ayegidi, 48, was arrested in Ghana in 2012 and prosecuted by the Benin Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP).

    The court was told that Mrs. Ayegidi trafficked six girls to Ghana and accommodated them at a place called Prampram where the girls were used as commercial sex workers before they were rescued by the Ghanaian police.

    Mrs. Ayegidi was arraigned on an 18-count charge but she pleaded not guilty when they were read to her.

    She was convicted on nine counts, which included organising foreign travels, which promote commercial sex on counts one to six, procurement of persons for commercial sex counts seven to 12 and deceitful inducement counts 13 – 18.

    The jail term was without an option of fine.

    Justice Alero Adodo-Eruaga of the Edo State High Court said the jail sentence would serve as a deterrent to other traffickers.

    The judge noted that Nigerian girls were trafficked for exploitative commercial sex and in the process bringing shame to the nation.

    NAPTIP has launched “Root out the traffickers from the Root” at remote villages, markets and other public places to educate the people on the ills and dangers of human trafficking.

    The Benin Zonal Commander, Mrs. Oluchi Ebiringa, who led the first leg of the outreach, said it would not be business as usual for traffickers.

    She said: “Our new rural outreach operation will root out traffickers. We are moving ahead of them to remote villages and settlements.

    “We have resolved that if they (the traffickers) climb mountains, we shall climb them, if they pass through water, our operatives have been trained to pass through the same waters and catch up with them.

    “There is no escape route because they will meet us at every location even in the remote villages. The only option for them is to hands off and stop trafficking our promising children.”

  • Human trafficker gets 10 years jail term

    A Benin socialite, Mrs. Eunice John Ayegidi, has been sentenced to a  10-year imprisonment for human trafficking.

    Mrs. Ayegidi, 48, was arrested in Ghana in 2012 and prosecuted by the Benin Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP).

    The court was told that Mrs. Ayegidi trafficked six girls to Ghana and accommodated them at a place called Prampram where the girls were used as commercial sex workers before they were rescued by the Ghanaian police.

    Mrs. Ayegidi was arraigned on an 18-count charge but she pleaded not guilty when they were read to her.

    She was convicted on nine counts, which included organising foreign travels, which promote commercial sex on counts one to six, procurement of persons for commercial sex counts seven to 12 and deceitful inducement counts 13 – 18.

    The jail term was without an option of fine.

    Justice Alero Adodo-Eruaga of the Edo State High Court said the jail sentence would serve as a deterrent to other traffickers.

    The judge noted that Nigerian girls were trafficked for exploitative commercial sex and in the process bringing shame to the nation.

    NAPTIP has launched “Root out the traffickers from the Root” at remote villages, markets and other public places to educate the people on the ills and dangers of human trafficking.

    The Benin Zonal Commander, Mrs. Oluchi Ebiringa, who led the first leg of the outreach, said it would not be business as usual for traffickers.

    She said: “Our new rural outreach operation will root out traffickers. We are moving ahead of them to remote villages and settlements.

    “We have resolved that if they (the traffickers) climb mountains, we shall climb them, if they pass through water, our operatives have been trained to pass through the same waters and catch up with them.

    “There is no escape route because they will meet us at every location even in the remote villages. The only option for them is to hands off and stop trafficking our promising children.”

  • ‘Human trafficker’ arrested in Jos

    ‘Human trafficker’ arrested in Jos

    A suspected human trafficker has been arrested in Jos, the Plateau State capital, by the police.

    Naphtali Zabade, from Dahwak Kuru, Jos, was apprehended at a motor park in Jos while allegedly attempting to transport six teenage girls to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    Commissioner of Police Chris Olakpe said: “The suspect and the victims were arrested at Silver Motor Park, Gadabiu, Jos on their way to Port Harcourt.

    “Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed that the girls were taken from Mangor village in Bokkos Local Government Area to Port Harcourt where they will be given menial jobs.”

    But Zabade denied he was a trafficker.

    He claimed that he works for a missionary centre in Port Harcourt and that the girls will be helped by the center to get jobs. “

    I am just trying to help these girls,” Zabade said.

    The police commissioner described human trafficking as modern slavery, which is becoming rampart in the country.

    The police also paraded eight suspects arrested with arms during the land dispute crisis in Bassa Local Government.