- Comfort Agboko, the representative of the NAPTIP Zonal Commander in Lagos, received the victims at the agency’s office in Ikeja
The Nigerian Navy has handed over seven suspected victims of human trafficking to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
According to the Commanding Officer of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Badagry, Navy Captain Augustus Amakiri, the suspects were arrested on October 1 and 3.
Represented by the Base Intelligence Officer, Sub-Lt. H.M. Danwalis, Amakiri stated that the Base Quick Response Team (QRT) intercepted a fibre boat at the Badagry Base Jetty, carrying passengers en route to Panshi Jetty from Mile 2. Among the passengers were four young women, aged 19 to 21, suspected to be victims of human trafficking.
“Further interrogation revealed that the women were unaware of their destinations and had been instructed to call a contact upon arrival at Panshi Jetty. The contact would then facilitate their movement to the Republic of Benin and Mali for a ‘better life,’” Amakiri disclosed. The women were immediately taken into the base’s custody.
On October 3, another fibre boat was intercepted by the Base QRT. During the search, three more girls, aged 15 to 17, were discovered, along with a woman, Sharon Idehen (29), and a one-year-old baby. Idehen, who claimed to be the girls’ elder relative, allegedly intended to take them to Ghana for a better life.
The Navy said that all the suspected victims and Idehen were handed over to NAPTIP in line with the Harmonised Standard Procedures on Arrest, Detention, and Prosecution (HSOP-AD&P) 2016, for further investigation and prosecution.
Comfort Agboko, the representative of the NAPTIP Zonal Commander in Lagos, received the victims at the agency’s office in Ikeja. The Navy reiterated its commitment to maritime security and its efforts to ensure a safe and secure maritime environment within Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.