In Oyo State, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have apprehended four individuals believed to be involved in human trafficking. They have also rescued nine people who were being exploited as sex workers in the state.
The NSCDC Commandant in Oyo, Augustine Padonu, disclosed this information during a press conference held at the command headquarters in Ibadan. He mentioned that the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit carried out the operation, resulting in the rescue of seven adult females and two minors from a hotel in the Apata area of Ibadan.
Padonu revealed that three of the suspects specialized in luring underage girls from villages for prostitution, while the fourth suspect, a male hotel manager, collaborated with the others to exploit trafficked underage girls as sex workers in the hotel.
“The recent arrests and rescues by the Oyo State Command of NSCDC demonstrate our strong dedication to combatting human trafficking and illegal activities like smuggling of petroleum products,” Padonu stated.
In a separate incident, the NSCDC monitoring team acted on credible intelligence and seized 55 kegs of smuggled petrol hidden in a forest around Gwagwasu Moore Road, Kishi in the northern part of the state. Padonu emphasized the risks that petrol smuggling poses to the economy and public safety.
Although the suspects involved in the petrol smuggling managed to evade arrest, Padonu assured that the NSCDC is intensifying efforts to track them down and urged the public to report any information related to such illegal activities.
One of the rescued underage victims, speaking to reporters, shared that she was pregnant and earned N10,000 daily, but was only given N2,000 by the traffickers who brought her from the village.