The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four suspected human traffickers and rescued 24 girls aged between 13 and 27 from their hideout in the Abattoir area of Agege.
Four suspects – Okon Felix, Michael Etim, Victor Asuquo and Goodness Ebiefie – allegedly brought the victims from Oron local government area of Akwa Ibom and kept them in shanties in Agege where they were used for prostitution.
According to Punch, after frantic efforts to locate the whereabouts of one of the victims in her state proved unsuccessful, her family reported the case of a missing person to the police
It was gathered that someone who saw the victim in the vicinity of the abattoir informed her sister, who immediately came to Lagos and contacted the police.
“After efforts to locate her proved abortive, someone saw her in Lagos State and the police were contacted to rescue her and on getting to the hideout, 23 more girls were found in the location,” the source stated.
It was gathered that the suspects sublet the shanties, where they kept each of the victims at the rate of N1, 000 daily.
The girls were in turn charging between N1, 500 and N2, 000 from men who slept with them in the shanties.
Confirming the incident, spokesman for the police command, Mr. Bala Elkana, said the 24 girls had been in Lagos since January.
He said they were rescued by personnel from the Area ‘G’ and the Abattoir Division, while four suspects were arrested.
He stated that investigation into the matter was ongoing, adding that the suspects would be charged to court.
“Twenty-four girls were trafficked from Akwa Ibom State to Lagos since January 2020. We have rescued the girls and arrested four suspected traffickers, Felix Okon, 32; Michael Etim, 22; Victor Asuquo, 35; and Goodness Ebiefie, 32.
“The girls are between the ages of 13 and 27, and we rescued them around the Abattoir area along the railway line.
“The matter was reported to us as a case of a missing person. One of the girls was reported missing in Akwa Ibom State and the family was searching for her and got information that the girl was seen somewhere in Lagos. So when we got to the location, we stormed it in search of the girl and found her.
“Surprisingly, we also found 23 other girls, who are all from Akwa Ibom State, and all of them confessed that their parents were not aware of their whereabouts.
“The girls all live in shanties and pay N1, 000 per day for the shanties. The traffickers brought them to Lagos for prostitution and they collect between N1, 500 and N2, 000 from customers who sleep with them.
“And some of them don’t get the money directly, because the customers pay the pimps.
“We are investigating the case, because the number is likely to be higher. The suspects will be charged,” said Elkana.
