The Zone 2 Police Command in Lagos has arrested a syndicate involved in trafficking young Nigerian girls to Mauritania for prostitution and sexual exploitation.
The Zonal Public Relations Officer, CSP Umma Ayuba, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Tuesday.
She said the suspects were apprehended on March 22 at their base in the Meiran area of Lagos.
“Operatives of the Zonal Intelligence Response Squad, led by SP Francis Kpoughul, stormed their base where two suspects were apprehended,” Ayuba said.
According to Ayuba, one of the suspects admitted that she was working with a woman based in Mauritania who asked her to recruit young girls under the age of 22 for prostitution.
“She said she was introduced to the woman by another trafficker who has already been jailed for the same crime. She received ₦50,000 as commission for each girl sent to Mauritania,” Ayuba stated.
Shockingly, the suspect also confessed to trafficking her own 19-year-old daughter. She admitted to receiving over ₦500,000 from her contact in Mauritania.
The second suspect told police that she was initially recruited to find girls to work as domestic staff in Mauritania.
“She later discovered that the girls were being used as sex workers, so she decided to withdraw from the business. She added that the only girl she sent was rejected due to her age and body size. That was when she realised something was wrong,” Ayuba said.
Ayuba confirmed that investigations are still ongoing, and the suspects will be charged in court once the process is completed.
The police have urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities related to human trafficking.
