Katsina State Command’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) operations have detained three suspected members of an interstate human trafficking syndicate that specialises in recruiting, harbouring, and transporting young girls from other regions of the nation to the North for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
During the sting, three human trafficking victims were rescued from a well-known hotel in Katsina town, where the three alleged traffickers were apprehended.
In a statement issued by Vincent Adekoye, the agency’s press officer, the hotel manager and two other employees were taken into custody.
NAPTIP revealed that one victim was from Rivers State, while the other two were from Benue State, adding that they were between the ages of 21 and 26.
According to NAPTIP’s preliminary investigation, the suspects were thought to be key suppliers of victims to brothels and other infamous establishments, some of which were located in nearby nations.
The traffickers were in another well-furnished room in the same compound, enjoying the profits of the exploitation, while the rescued victims were discovered in a small room inside the hotel complex.
Applauding the operatives of NAPTIP in the Katsina office, she added, “Their stories (the victims) are painful and sad. They were deceived, recruited, trafficked, and forced into prostitution. While they faced horror every day from prostitution, their traffickers were somewhere within the same hotel, feeding fat on the proceeds of the exploitation.
“It is also important to reiterate our earlier warning about operators of hotels aiding and abetting the exploitation of victims of human trafficking in their facilities. We have commenced a legal process to determine the next execution order for the hotel. The law shall definitely take its course.”
In an interview following the operation, one of the victims (whose name has been withheld by NAPTIP officials) claimed that they were tricked, lured, and transported to Katsina under the pretence of a respectable work, only to be coerced into prostitution against their will.
“I was brought here by a woman who promised to give us a job and said we would be paid very well. I asked her the details of the job, but she said I would know the nature of the job when I got here. When we got here, she introduced us to prostitution, which was not part of what they told us before.
“We actually sleep with a lot of men — at least 20 men a day — and all the money we get goes to the chairlady of the place, by name Amarachi” she said.
The victim further stated that, “We have no choice but to sleep with 20 men a day. Even when we are on our monthly period, we are forced to sleep with the same number of men. Even when we are sick or tired, they still force us to sleep with men.
“They said it is not their business to know how we feel, but that our job is to engage in prostitution. They give each of us a Fearless energy drink every evening so we can have energy to work, stay awake, and sleep with the men to get money for them. They take all the money we make and leave us to feed ourselves.”
The victims thanked NAPTIP for saving their lives and revealed that the traffickers not only financially crippled them to keep them from escaping, but also bribed certain individuals to watch over them.
This is coming months after some other trafficking victims were rescued from Ghana by government agencies.
The act of human trafficking is quickly becoming a menace in the Nigerian society as many have fallen victim to such brutal actions.
See report published by the International organisation for Migration on profile of human trafficking victims since 2017
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