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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
No fewer than 114 adolescent girls have been rescued from sexual exploitation and prostitution in Enugu State following a coordinated operation by the Enugu State Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Taskforce.
The operation, carried out in collaboration with the state Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development and the Nigeria Police Force, involved a raid on three hotels in the state where the girls were allegedly being exploited.
Executive Director of the Economic and Social Empowerment of Rural Communities (ESERC), Ikechukwu Nwaogu, disclosed this during a press conference in Enugu as part of activities marking the 2026 International Women’s Day.
Nwaogu said the operation exposed the disturbing level of sexual exploitation faced by vulnerable adolescent girls in the state.
“A few weeks ago, the Enugu State GBV Taskforce, working in collaboration with the Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development and the Enugu State Police Command, conducted an operation that led to the raid of three hotels in Enugu State. During the operation, 114 adolescent girls were rescued from sexual exploitation and prostitution,” he said.
He, however, expressed concern that the absence of a functional rehabilitation facility in the state has made it difficult to properly reintegrate the rescued girls.
According to him, many of the adolescents have dispersed after the rescue operation, raising fears that some may have returned to environments where exploitation persists.
Providing an update on the activities of the taskforce, Nwaogu revealed that a total of 1,086 gender-based violence cases have been reported since its inauguration in December 2025.
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He noted that the taskforce now receives an average of more than 20 cases daily, which he attributed to increasing public awareness and growing confidence in reporting mechanisms.
Nwaogu said 218 arrests have been made with the support of the Nigeria Police Force, while 32 cases are currently before the courts. He added that 18 suspected perpetrators have been remanded at the Enugu State Correctional Centre.
He further disclosed that the taskforce has been providing legal and medical support to survivors.
According to him, the legal team offers pro bono services to ensure survivors have access to justice, while 46 victims have received medical assistance, including payment of hospital bills and emergency treatment.
He added that transportation support has also been provided to enable survivors access medical services and attend court proceedings.
Nwaogu, however, lamented that the Borstal Training Institute in Ngwo, originally established in 1932 to rehabilitate juvenile offenders, has remained non-operational since the Nigerian Civil War in 1967, with most of its facilities now dilapidated.
He called on the Federal Government to urgently rehabilitate and operationalise the institute to provide proper rehabilitation and reintegration for juvenile offenders and vulnerable adolescents across the South-East and South-South regions.
He also appealed to the Enugu State Government, corporate organisations and development partners to support the operations of the GBV Taskforce in tackling gender-based violence in the state.
