In Edo State, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) apprehended a suspect who specializes in trafficking girls to Mali and Burkina Faso for prostitution.
“Yesterday, we arrested one trafficker who was trafficked in 2016 and returned in 2018,” said the state’s NAPTIP Commander, Barr Nduka Nwawenene, during a sensitization for Persons Living With Disability (PLWD) against human trafficking. She is now bringing young girls to Mali and Burkina Faso to prostitution.
“The suspect claimed she only trafficked three people, but our investigation revealed that she trafficked a large number of young girls to Mali and Burkina Faso to work for her.”
He stated that the agency had established that the majority of the traffickers were victims who had been trafficked to Italy and other countries for prostitution and exploitation and had switched to trafficking after serving their sponsors.
He confirmed that the suspect will be charged in court after an investigation, noting that the agency had convicted 44 traffickers between January and July.