During a raid on a motel in the Oba village of the Idemili South Local Government Area of the state, officials from the Anambra State Government and personnel from the state police command saved the lives of two juvenile girls and eighteen others who were being used as prostitutes.
The raid was carried out as a result of a whistleblower’s report after persistently suspicious activity was seen close to the hotel.
The ministry reportedly transported the minor girls to the hospital for a medical evaluation and potential treatment.
Ify Obinabo, the state commissioner for women and social welfare, praised the security personnel’s efforts in aiding in the girls’ rescue shortly after the raid on Wednesday.
While bemoaning the fact that certain persons are still engaging in illegal activity in spite of the state government’s attempts to end trafficking in the state, Obinabo pledged to see to it that justice is done.
“The investigation conducted by the ministry prior to this raid revealed that the hotel’s management, Ten Top, Oba, traffics in girls from all over the nation for prostitution,” the statement reads.
“The state government is dedicated to putting a stop to all forms of child abduction, human trafficking, and sexual slavery within the state. We strongly encourage the people of Anambra to report any suspicious activity in their area so that appropriate action can be taken.”
The rescued females, who ranged in age from 16 to 24, who spoke with media, all stated that they were either brought to the hotel by friends or family with the intention of getting them jobs there while, in reality, they were trafficked.
The victims revealed that the individual who brought them to the brothel typically took away their phones and other possessions before giving them to another lady, who threatened to withhold their release unless they paid her a specific sum of money or performed services for her for a full year.
According to them, they made between N4,000 and N10,000 each day and between N15,000 and N30,000 over the weekends.
“We have different’madams’ at the hotel, and the money we made is taken away by our different direct’madams,’ while the hotel owner comes to collect the money,” one of them, Ebere, claimed.
The owner receives daily rent payments from us, totaling N3,500, which we pay from the money we produce from our prostitute operation.
“Every morning, we were given N500 to eat for the entire day. The food is delivered to us by security guards stationed throughout the hotel.”
The victims also disclosed that they have sexual relations with roughly ten men each day in an attempt to reach the target set for them; failure to do so puts them at risk of severe physical abuse from their madam.
Following investigations, the suspects who were also taken into prison following the raid, will be charged before thehildren, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka.