Lagos police stop woman from trafficking Kaduna girls to Ivory Coast

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a woman for trying to traffic three girls from Kaduna to Ivory Coast for prostitution.

The News Agency of Nigeria learned that the suspect tricked the girls, aged 18 to 20, into coming to Lagos with promises of a restaurant job.

But when they arrived in the Ajegunle area on May 23, she told them she planned to send them to Ivory Coast.

One girl refused to go abroad and reported the situation to the police.

After she reported it, the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, ordered the case to be moved from the Tolu Division in Ajegunle to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Yaba for a deeper investigation.

The Anti-Human Trafficking/Gender Unit of the SCID is handling the case. The unit is under the guidance of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dayo Akinbisehin.

A police source shared with NAN on Thursday that the victims had no idea about the trafficking plan before leaving Kaduna.

The source said one girl protested after finding out she was being taken abroad for prostitution instead of the job she was promised.

“She immediately told the suspect that prostitution was not what they had been told they were coming to Lagos for.

“The suspect took the girls to a motor park to arrange their travel out of the country.

“Worried about what was happening, one of the girls went to the police and filed a complaint.

“After the report, detectives started an investigation and later arrested the suspect,” the source explained.

The source also mentioned that they are working to rescue the other girls believed to be with an accomplice and to find others involved in the trafficking scheme.

He added that investigations are done, and the suspect will face charges in court soon.