Nine people lured into sex work have been rescued by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Oyo State Command.
The Command also arrested four suspected human traffickers and recovered 55 30-litre kegs of smuggled petrol around Gwagwasu Moore Road, Kishi in the Northern part of the state.
The Oyo state’s NSCDC commandant, Augustine Padonu, while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters on Friday, August 9, 2024, in Ibadan said the suspects were arrested by the Command’s Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit.
According to the commandant, the suspects were arrested on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at a hotel in Apata area of Ibadan for alleged trafficking and prostitution.
He said that the rescued victims were seven female adults and two female minors.
The commandant said that three of the suspects specialised in bringing underage girls from villages for prostitution.
Mr Padonu said that the fourth suspect was a male manager of the hotel who collaborated with the three female suspects to use trafficked underage girls as sex workers in the hotel.
He said, “The Oyo State Command of NSCDC has made significant breakthroughs in its fight against human trafficking and smuggling of petroleum products.
“This demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals, especially children, from exploitation and abuse as well as safeguarding the nation’s economy from illegal activities,” he stated.
One of the underaged human trafficking victims who spoke during the parading of the suspects said she was pregnant and used to make N10,000 daily.
She added that out of her income, the suspects who brought her from the village would give her only N2,000.
