Kogi: Police dismantle human trafficking network

Operatives of the Kogi State Police Command have dismantled an alleged human trafficking syndicate operating in Lokoja and rescued a 21-year-old woman who was trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire under the guise of securing employment.

The Command arrested four members of the same family accused of luring vulnerable young women with promises of lucrative jobs abroad before subjecting them to sexual exploitation.

Parading the suspects at the Police Headquarters in Lokoja, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Afusat, said the breakthrough followed weeks of intelligence gathering and collaboration with civil society organisations.

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According to the police, the suspects include Mrs Angela Sylvester, 38, her two daughters, and her son-in-law, Emmanuel David. Investigations revealed that they allegedly deceived Miss Patience Adamu, a resident of Ibaji Quarters, Lokoja, into believing she would work as a hairdresser in Côte d’Ivoire.

ASP Afusat explained that the syndicate specifically targeted young women from poor backgrounds, exploiting their economic challenges with false promises of better opportunities overseas.

She noted that Patience, whose father is deceased, accepted the offer in the hope of supporting her struggling family. However, upon arriving in Côte d’Ivoire, she discovered that the promised hairdressing job did not exist and was instead forced into prostitution.

The victim reportedly managed to contact her relatives from abroad, prompting her mother, Mrs Mercy Aliudo, to demand her return. When the suspects allegedly failed to facilitate her return, the matter was reported to the Challenge Parenthood Initiative (CPI), a non-governmental organisation focused on combating gender-based violence and human trafficking.

Following a formal complaint by CPI, the police launched an investigation that led to the arrest of the suspects. Patience was successfully repatriated to Nigeria last Saturday and reunited with her family.

Further investigations reportedly uncovered indications that other young women may still be trapped in Côte d’Ivoire, raising concerns about the wider scope of the trafficking operation.

The police disclosed that the suspects would be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) upon the conclusion of investigations for further prosecution.

Speaking on the development, the Executive Director of the Challenge Parenthood Initiative, Eunice Abimbola Agbogun, said the organisation received the trafficking report in April and subsequently petitioned the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Kankarofi, whose intervention led to the successful operation.

Agbogun alleged that the syndicate used Ghana as a transit route before moving victims to Côte d’Ivoire, where they were forced into prostitution. She described human trafficking as a growing threat in Kogi State, driven largely by poverty, illiteracy, and the state’s strategic location.

The rescued victim’s mother, Mrs Mercy Aliudo, expressed gratitude to the police and CPI for securing her daughter’s freedom after months of uncertainty and distress.

Sharing her ordeal, Patience described her experience abroad as traumatic and called on authorities to intensify efforts to rescue other Nigerian women trapped in similar circumstances.

The Kogi State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to combating human trafficking and urged residents to promptly report suspicious movements and recruitment activities targeting young women.