Nigerian woman arrested over alleged trafficking of her daughter, confesses to crime
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A Nigerian woman (name withheld by police) has been arrested for allegedly trafficking young girls, including her daughter, to Mauritania for N50,000 to do commercial sex work.
Police Zone 2 Command Public Relations Officer Umma Ayuba confirmed that the woman and an accomplice were arrested at their hideout in the Meiran area of Lagos on March 22.
Ayuba disclosed in a statement that the syndicate worked with other accomplices in Mauritania to traffic girls below 22 as commercial sex workers, and the suspects arrested in Nigeria confessed to the crime upon interrogation.
“Operatives of the Zonal Intelligence Response Squad led by SP Francis Kpoughul stormed their base where two suspects were apprehended,” the statement explained.
“The first suspect said she was introduced to a woman based in Mauritania by another woman, who has been prosecuted for the same offence and is currently serving a jail term.
“She said the woman in Mauritania contracted her to recruit young girls below the age of 22 to be used as sex workers there.
“She added that she received N50,000 as a commission for each girl sent to Mauritania.
“She confessed that, among the girls she recruited, was her 19-year-old daughter. She also admitted to receiving over N500,000 from the woman in Mauritania.”
The second suspect confessed to the police that she was contracted by the first suspect to recruit girls as domestic staff in Mauritania, but when she sent one victim to the first suspect, she rejected it.
The second suspect told the police that she became suspicious after the victim she sent to the first suspect was rejected, and upon further questioning, she realised that the victims were to be used as sex workers.
“She said that, upon further questioning, she discovered the girls were to be used as sex workers and decided to withdraw from the business.
“She added that the only girl she sent to the first suspect was rejected due to her age and body size. That was when she realised something was wrong.”
Ayuba said the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigation.
Ogun Police Command on March 3 arrested one Opeyemi Adetoro, 28, for allegedly trafficking three girls to Libya from the Oke Itoku area of Abeokuta in the state.
Police spokesperson Omolola Odutola disclosed that the woman was arrested after the mother of one of the victims reported to the police that her child had been taken to Libya without her consent.
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