By Abbanobi -Eku Onyeka
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have dismantled a major human‑trafficking operation, rescuing 14 young Nigerian women and arresting two suspected syndicate members in the Federal Capital Territory.
The NSCDC’s Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG‑SIS) acted on credible intelligence indicating that a network was preparing to move unsuspecting victims to Egypt and Israel via Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja. The victims were temporarily housed at Odogwu Guest House in Gbesa, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
Acting swiftly, the NSCDC squad intercepted a Toyota Sienna bus en route to the airport, arresting two Nigerian collaborators and freeing the 14 victims. The rescued women, aged 19 to 47, included 11 Yoruba, 1 Igbo, 1 Igede, and 1 Isoko woman. Thirteen of them possessed international passports and yellow cards but lacked the required entry visas for Egypt or Israel.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims—fashion designers, makeup artists, and hairdressers—had been lured with promises of better job opportunities abroad. They identified the arrested suspects as Nigerian‑based intermediaries working for principal agents based in the destination countries.
The suspects, crime scene, and recovered exhibits were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation and prosecution.
In a statement signed by CSC Afolabi Babawale, National Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, the Corps reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with other security and anti‑trafficking agencies to combat human trafficking. The public was urged to continue supplying vital intelligence to support the NSCDC’s mandate of protecting lives and critical national assets.
