Daud Olatunji
The Nigeria Police Force has rescued two Colombian women allegedly trafficked into Nigeria and held captive by a suspected international human trafficking syndicate in Lagos.
The victims, identified as Maria Camila Rodas Ortiz and Yuliet Fernanda Rios Mesa, were rescued by operatives of the National Central Bureau of INTERPOL, Lagos Annex, following intelligence from INTERPOL-NCB, Bogotá.
The police said the women were allegedly lured to Nigeria under false pretences before their travel documents were confiscated by Chinese nationals suspected to be members of the trafficking network.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, explaining that the intelligence was received on August 26, 2026.
According to him, operatives immediately commenced a covert operation to trace the victims, leading them to a hideout in Lagos where the women were being held.
“Upon receipt of the intelligence, police operatives promptly launched a covert tracking operation, locating the hideout in Lagos where both victims were safely rescued on the same day,” Iniedu stated.
However, the suspected traffickers reportedly fled the location after sighting the approaching police operatives.
The police said efforts had been intensified to identify and apprehend all members of the syndicate, particularly the Chinese nationals allegedly responsible for confiscating the victims’ travel documents.
The rescued women are currently in the custody of the authorities, where they are receiving necessary support, the police said.
Iniedu added that the Colombian Embassy in Accra was collaborating with the NCB-INTERPOL to secure hotel accommodation for the victims and obtain emergency travel documents to facilitate their return to Bogotá, Colombia.
The police described the operation as a major breakthrough in the fight against human trafficking and transnational organised crime.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, reaffirmed the commitment of the force to protecting residents and strengthening international cooperation in tackling cross-border criminal networks.
Disu also urged members of the public and international partners to continue providing actionable intelligence to law enforcement agencies to aid the identification and dismantling of criminal networks operating in Nigeria.
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