Traffickers promote Nigeria ladies for N770,000, Police rescue sufferer from Mali

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has arrested three suspected members of a global human trafficking syndicate and rescued a 21-year-old Nigerian girl allegedly trafficked to Mali and compelled into prostitution.

The operation by personnel of the Force Intelligence Department Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS), additionally led to the rescue of three different feminine victims who had been allegedly being recruited for trafficking to different African international locations.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police accountable for FID-STS, ACP Godfrey Ogbiede Victor, who disclosed this throughout a press briefing in Abuja, attributed the breakthrough to intelligence-led investigations and digital intelligence.

He stated the operation was carried out between October 1 and 27, 2026, following directives by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to accentuate efforts to guard lives and property, significantly susceptible individuals.

The 21-year-old girl from Akwanga, Nasarawa state, reportedly lured by one of many suspects, Orgba Solomon, with guarantees of profitable employment overseas and transported by means of Lagos and unlawful border routes into the Republic of Benin on September 26, 2026, earlier than being moved to artisanal gold-mining camps in Mali, the place feminine victims had been allegedly pressured into prostitution.

ACP Victor disclosed that earlier than her departure, Solomon confiscated her cell phone and journey paperwork, thereby chopping off communication together with her household.

She was subsequently handed over to different members of the trafficking community and allegedly bought for CFA 420,000, roughly ₦770,000.

The police commander stated the sufferer’s refusal to interact in prostitution attracted extreme beatings, whereas she was allegedly pressured to take a blood oath at a shrine earlier than being subjected to sexual exploitation.

He defined that the police operation commenced following a report by the sufferer’s sister, which prompted operatives to launch an intelligence-driven investigation.

He stated Solomon returned to Nigeria on October 18, allegedly  to recruit extra ladies for trafficking to Senegal and Mali; nonetheless, police operatives intercepted the operation and rescued three different feminine victims recognized as Martha Godiya, Amina Usman and Hadisa Yahaya, who had been subsequently reunited with their households.

Further investigations led to the arrest of Solomon and two different suspected members of the syndicate, recognized as Daniel Aondofa, 26, and Thankgod Ocho, 25.

Solomon, 28, who was described because the gang chief and resident within the Republic of Benin, and the opposite two suspects are all indigenes of Benue State.

The police stated the suspects confessed to their involvement within the trafficking community and supplied data that facilitated the rescue of Godiya Amos from Mali.

In a disturbing revelation, the rescued sufferer reportedly instructed investigators that roughly 42 Nigerian ladies had been being held in a makeshift camp inside a distant gold-mining settlement in Mali, the place they had been subjected to pressured prostitution and slave-like circumstances.

She alleged that the ladies had restricted motion and confronted excessive difficulties escaping from the camp.

The police commander stated investigations had been ongoing, whereas efforts had been intensified to apprehend different members of the trafficking community and safe the rescue of extra victims.

The newest operation underscored the rising transnational dimension of human trafficking and the necessity for stronger intelligence-sharing and cross-border collaboration to dismantle prison networks exploiting susceptible Nigerian ladies.

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