By Operatives of the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos, have arrested a syndicate involved in trafficking young Nigerian girls to Mauritania for prostitution and sexual exploitation.
CSP Umma Ayuba, the Zonal Public Relations Officer (ZPRO), confirmed the arrest in a statement on Tuesday. She revealed that the suspects were apprehended on March 22 in the Meiran area of Lagos by the Zonal Intelligence Response Squad (ZIRS), led by SP Francis Kpoughul.
The suspects confessed to the crime, with the first suspect admitting she was recruited by a woman in Mauritania to find girls under 22 for sex work. She disclosed that she received ₦50,000 for each girl sent and had already recruited her 19-year-old daughter, earning over ₦500,000 from the illegal trade.
Her accomplice, the second suspect, claimed she was initially told the girls were being sent as domestic workers. Upon realizing they were meant for prostitution, she attempted to withdraw but had already referred one girl, who was later rejected due to her age and size.
The police confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that the suspects will be charged to court once the process is complete.
