The Osun State Police Command on Thursday said it had rescued 15 youths suspected to be victims of a human trafficking syndicate and arrested one suspect in connection with the crime.
A statement signed by the command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, explained that the victims were rescued from a house in Osogbo where they were camped by some people now on the run.
Ojelabi said intelligence-led operatives raided the house where the victims were lodged, revealing that those who brought them came from Niger, Togo, and the Benin Republic with promises of good job opportunities in Nigeria.
“Osun State Police Command has successfully rescued fifteen (15) young persons who were victims of a suspected human trafficking syndicate during a coordinated and intelligence-led operation carried out by operatives of the State Intelligence Department (SID). Acting on credible information, officers of the Command rescued the victims from traffickers who had allegedly deceived them with false promises of employment and better living opportunities outside their home countries,” the statement read.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that the victims were transported to Nigeria from Togo, the Benin Republic and Niger and kept inside a three-bedroom flat at Adeleke Estate, Osogbo, under suspicious circumstances before the intervention of the police.”
According to the statement, the rescued individuals include Moise Nanga, 30; Myriam Yakouba, 28; Rostand Joseph, 29; Mouris Kassoko, 26; Bicosso Nadia, 22; Samoru Ilan Azote, 20; Doris Samnat, 23; Zogo Michelle, 25; Nebi Sera, 21; Moeva Loure, 23; Awa Asoka, 25; Sonara Rene, 26; Ella Cadore, 24; Odil Mapa, 25; and Madji Sanni, 22.
The PPRO said the victims are receiving necessary care under protective custody, adding that the Command is collaborating with relevant authorities to ensure their rehabilitation and working towards reuniting them with their families.
On the arrest made during the raid, Ojelabi said, “Some suspects connected to this criminal act have absconded, but the Command is on their trail. However, the agent who gave out the house to these criminal elements has been arrested and is assisting the police in the ongoing investigations.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, urged parents, guardians, and house owners to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements or recruitment schemes to the nearest security agencies.
