… Hotel Manager, Staff Arrested
Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have busted a major human trafficking ring operating out of a popular hotel in Katsina State, rescuing three young women who were allegedly forced into prostitution.
The raid, which took place in the heart of Katsina township, led to the arrest of the hotel manager and two of his staff, all suspected to be part of an interstate trafficking syndicate that recruits young women from southern Nigeria and forces them into sexual slavery in the North.
According to a statement signed by NAPTIP spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye, the victims—aged between 21 and 26—were rescued from a crammed, poorly ventilated room within the hotel premises, while their traffickers were found lounging in luxury in another section of the same building.
Two of the rescued victims hail from Benue State and one from Rivers.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that they were allegedly lured with false promises of well-paying jobs, only to be coerced into sex work upon arrival in Katsina.
In a chilling testimony, one of the victims disclosed they were made to sleep with no fewer than 20 men daily, including during their menstrual periods and in times of illness.
“We have no choice but to sleep with 20 men a day,” she said tearfully.
“Even when we are tired or sick, they give us energy drinks like Fearless so we can keep going. All the money goes to the woman in charge—Amarachi—we are left to feed ourselves.”
The victims further revealed that they were closely monitored by men hired to prevent their escape, and that their traffickers collected all the proceeds from their daily abuse while they endured inhumane conditions.
Reacting to the operation, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, commended the swift action of the agency’s Katsina command and vowed that the hotel involved would face the full weight of the law.
“It is disturbing that some hospitality establishments are actively aiding and abetting the exploitation of human trafficking victims. This hotel will be sanctioned in accordance with Nigeria’s anti-trafficking laws,” she said.
Bello also warned other hotels, drinking joints, and transport hubs being used by trafficking syndicates to brace for intensified surveillance, disclosing that NAPTIP had already begun legal processes to clamp down on enablers.
“These young women were deceived, trafficked, and stripped of their dignity. We will not rest until every person or organisation complicit in these crimes is held accountable,” the DG affirmed.
The raid followed a recent directive by Bello instructing NAPTIP operatives across all states to increase intelligence gathering and target suspected trafficking networks.
Meanwhile, the rescued victims have been placed in protective custody and are undergoing rehabilitation, while the suspects remain in custody pending prosecution.
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