The Lagos State Police Command has busted a suspected cross-border child trafficking syndicate allegedly specialising in luring and transporting young Nigerian women to Ghana for prostitution.
Four suspected members of the network are in custody while 11 victims, aged between 15 and 29, have been rescued and placed in protective care.
Police spokesman, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a statement on Friday that the operation began on August 13 when operatives of the Ilemba Hausa Division intercepted a 15-year-old girl in the company of a commercial motorcyclist, Mustapha Abubakar, identified as one of the recruiters.
“The teenager was minutes away from being moved across the border when she was rescued,” Hundeyin said.
Following the arrest, the case was transferred to the Command’s Special Squad I, which, acting on actionable intelligence, launched a coordinated manhunt leading to the arrest of three more suspects in separate locations.
They include Charles Chima, 54, arrested in Amuwo Odofin; Emmanuel Nwaka, 36, picked up along the Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway; and Princess John, 21, apprehended at Ojota.
Hundeyin said investigations revealed the syndicate was part of a larger criminal network recruiting vulnerable young women from across Nigeria for sexual exploitation in Ghana.
Ten other victims, aged between 21 and 29, were rescued during follow-up raids and are receiving medical and psychological support as authorities work to reunite them with their families.
Lagos Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, commended the swift action of the operatives, warning that the Command would continue to hunt down human traffickers.
“This Command maintains zero tolerance for human trafficking and any form of exploitation. We urge the public to be vigilant, watch out for vulnerable young persons, and report suspicious movements to the nearest police station,” Jimoh stated.
The suspects remain in custody as investigations continue to unravel the full scope of the cross-border trafficking ring.
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