The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested a suspect who specialises in trafficking girls to Mali and Burkina Faso for prostitution in Edo State.
The state’s NAPTIP Commander, Barr Nduka Nwawenene, who disclosed this Sunday during a sensitisation for Persons Living With Disability (PLWD) against human trafficking, said, “Yesterday, we arrested one trafficker who was trafficked in 2016 and came back in 2018. She is now trafficking young girls to Mali and Burkina Faso to do prostitution for her.
“The suspect claimed she had only trafficked three persons, but from our investigation, we discovered that she has trafficked many young girls to Mali and Burkina Faso who are working for her.”
He noted that the agency had discovered that most of the traffickers were victims themselves who were trafficked to Italy and other countries for prostitution and exploitation, and who turned to traffickers after serving their sponsors.
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He assured that the suspect would be charged to court after investigation, adding that the agency had secured the conviction of 44 traffickers from January to July.