By Chukwudi Samuel
The renewed onslaught by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on human traffickers across the country has continued as the operatives of the Agency have arrested a middle age man, Emmanuel Stephen for allegedly trafficking his 21 years old girlfriend (name withheld) to Mali for prostitution and sexual exploitation.
As at the time of filling this report, the victim is said to be critically ill and has not been able to access any medical service because of her status as illegal and undocumented migrant.
It would be recalled that the Director General of the Agency, senator Basheer Garba Mohammed, on assumption of office few months ago, had declared a total war on human traffickers in the country and had given operatives of the Agency the matching order to smoke them out of Nigeria so as to ensure adequate protection of Nigerians from all forms of Trafficking and exploitation.
The latest development came barely two weeks after a notorious trans-border human trafficker was arrested by the combined team of NAPTIP and other sister security agencies in Kano on their way to Libya.about twelve victims were also rescued during the successful operation.
The suspect, Emmanuel Stephen, an indigene of Akoko, Ondo state who resides in karimajiji, airport road , Abuja. was said to have been in a love relationship with the victim, an apprentice in one of the beauty stores in Abuja, since the past two years with a promise to marry her.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed that his senior sister who stays in Mali called him early in the year and told him that she had graduated from her “Madam” and requested for a girl to be sent to her.
He stated further that he convinced his girlfriend who agreed and they were later linked up with somebody in Benin City, Edo state who later arranged the movement from Nigeria to Mali by road in April 2021.
According to him, the sister promised that the girl will help to work in a beer parlour in Mali.
Investigation revealed that as soon as the victim arrived Mali, she was sold to another woman for a sum of N1,500,000 ( One million, five hundred thousand naira) and was subsequently forced into exploitative prostitution.
Few weeks later, due to the rigorous sexual activities with numerous partners, the victim was said to have developed a strange sickness with other associated health challenges and presently in serious condition.
Reacting to the development, Director General of NAPTIP, Senator Basheer Mohammed, expressed sadness over the fate of the victim and promised that the agency will work with other partners including security Agencies to rescue her.
DG used the medium once again to throw word of advice to parents, ” watch over our children and desist from giving them endless freedom even at tender age.
