The Nigeria Immigration Service Ekiti State Command has arrested four suspects over alleged human trafficking to Italy, News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The NIS Comptroller, Ekiti Command, Mrs Ifeoma Dibia, disclosed this on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti while handing over the leader of the gang and the three victims to National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
She said that NIS arrested one Mrs Mary, 35, at the Command’s passport office in Ado Ekiti while she was trying to procure passports for the victims to travel to Italy.
The victims were Abiodun, 24, Titilayo Blessing, 30 and Motunrayo, 20, all from Idanre town in Ondo State.
Dibia said the suspects were arrested after her men got information of where they were planning to travel to.
She explained that her operatives had stepped up efforts to rid the state of human trafficking, child labour and prostitution.
She said that the command had redoubled its efforts at curbing the menace, as a result of a disturbing revelation made by Governor Kayode Fayemi recently that Ekiti State had become a transit state for the illicit business.
The comptroller said most painful and disturbing was the fact that the trend of human trafficking was common among children from broken homes.
She said Mrs Mary was operating in collaboration with one Mr Jamiu, who normally processed travelling visas for the victims in Lagos and her sister, Jumoke, who is based in Italy, including another yet-to-be-identified person.
“One of our responsibilities is to stop human trafficking and child’s labour.
“When these young ladies came to our passport section to get passports, we interrogated them and we suspected that this could be a case of illegal migration.
“They said they are going there to do hairdressing and as house helps, but this is how they used to trick and traffic the victims to other countries, only to get there and used them for prostitution.
“After interrogating them, we knew that they didn’t know what they were going there to do.
“What we normally do is to arrest people like these, profile them and hand them over to NAPTIP for prosecution.”
(NAN)
