Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have rescued six girls and a male who were allegedly being trafficked to Cote d’ Ivoire and Libya.
The victims are, Innocent Godfrey (male) 20, Success Okogbowa (17),Gift Osabuohien (18), Endurance Edigho (18), Gift Edigho (17), Oghayero (19) and Happiness Oliver (16) all female.
The girls who disguised themselves as Muslims by wearing hijab were intercepted at Isihor Police Check-point, Benin City on the Benin-Lagos Road.
The victims who are from Delta, Edo and Enugu states but residents of Edo State were allegedly recruited by Godfrey’s sister for the journey.
Addressing journalists yesterday, the state Commissioner of Police, Philip Aliyu Ogbadu, said the police were able to intercept the victims following an intelligence report.
He said, “Some of the victims were minors. On interrogation, we found out they were being trafficked to Cote d’ Ivoire by one Godfrey. It is a case of trafficking. They would be handed over to National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffick in Person (NAPTIP) for rehabilitation.”
In an interview, one of trafficked victims, Innocent Godfrey, said the journey was arranged by her sister for someone in Libya.
“I am not the one conveying them. I am going to Libya while they are going to Cote d’ Ivoire. We were arrested at the check point in Isihor. I am not the one trafficking the girls. I also paid N200,000 for this trip but the person that is trafficking the girls is in Libya and he paid money to sponsor the girls.”
One of the girls, Endurance Edigho, said they were recruited by Godfrey’s sister at a birthday party of one of their friends.
“She asked if I would like to travel out and the jobs available are cleaning, house help and prostitution. I told her I will work as a house help and she asked me to join the others.
“We stayed with the person that is taking us on the journey for three day. We were, however, arrested on Thursday at a police check-point. One of the boys in the vehicle had Indian hemp in his bag and that was how we were arrested and taken to the police station.”
