Police Arrest Suspects in Nigerian Girl Trafficking Syndicate

• Apr 01, 2025

Police in Lagos State have arrested two suspects accused of trafficking young Nigerian girls to Mauritania for sexual exploitation. The arrest was carried out by operatives of the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, as part of efforts to curb human trafficking.

Zonal Public Relations Officer (ZPRO), CSP Umma Ayuba, confirmed the arrests in a statement on Tuesday. She said officers from the Zonal Intelligence Response Squad (ZIRS), led by SP Francis Kpoughul, apprehended the suspects on March 22 at their base in the Meiran area of Lagos.

According to Ayuba, the first suspect admitted to recruiting young women for prostitution in Mauritania. She revealed that she was introduced to a woman based in the North African country by another trafficker who has already been convicted and is currently serving a prison sentence. The woman in Mauritania allegedly hired her to find girls under the age of 22 for sex work.

The suspect also confessed to receiving ₦50,000 for each girl she successfully sent to Mauritania. Shockingly, among her victims was her own 19-year-old daughter. She further admitted to receiving over ₦500,000 from the Mauritanian contact in exchange for recruiting young women.

The second suspect also confessed to being involved but claimed she initially believed she was helping girls secure domestic jobs. She said she later realized the victims were being forced into prostitution and decided to withdraw from the operation. She also stated that the only girl she recruited was rejected due to her age and body size, which made her suspect that something illegal was happening.

The police say investigations are still ongoing, and the suspects will face charges once inquiries are completed. Authorities have vowed to continue efforts to dismantle human trafficking networks and protect vulnerable young women from exploitation.