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Trafficking syndicates arrested in Katsina hotel
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has confirmed the arrest of three suspected members of interstate human trafficking syndicates who specialised in the recruitment, harbouring, and trafficking of young girls from other parts of the country to the northern region for sexual exploitation.
NAPTIP said that three suspected victims of human trafficking, from Benue (2) and Rivers States (1), with ages ranging from 21 to 26 years old, were rescued during the operation conducted by officials of the Katsina State Command of the Agency.
NAPTIP spokesman Vincent Adekoye, in a statement on Wednesday, July 9, noted that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were major suppliers of victims to brothels and other notorious centres, including some neighbouring countries.
NAPTIP said the victims claimed they were deceived, recruited, and trafficked to Katsina State with a promise of legitimate jobs, only to be forced into prostitution against their will. “I was brought here by a woman (name withheld) who promised to give us a job and that we would be paid very well.
“I asked her the details of the job, but she said I would know the nature of the job when I got here. When we got here, she introduced us to prostitution, which was not part of what they told us before. We actually sleep with a lot of men, at least 20 men a day, and all the money we get goes to the chairlady of the place, by name Amarachi.
“Even when we are on our monthly period, we are being forced to sleep with the same number of men. Even when we are sick or tired, they will force us to sleep with men. They said it is not their business to know how we feel, but to engage in prostitution. They give us an energy drink each to take every evening so that we can have energy to work, be awake to sleep with the men, and get money for them. They take all the money we make and leave us to feed ourselves,” the victim lamented with uncontrollable tears.
Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, in her reaction, expressed worry over the activities of some hotel operators across the country that harbour victims of human trafficking. “The hotel manager has been arrested. We are also taking steps to sanction the hotel in line with the provisions of the trafficking law.
“I wish to commend the operatives of NAPTIP in Katsina for the intelligence, raid, and rescue of the victims. The stories of these victims are pathetic, painful, and sad. They were obviously deceived, recruited, trafficked, and forced into prostitution. While they are facing horror every day from prostitution, their traffickers were somewhere within the same hotel, feeding fat on the proceeds of the exploitation.
“It is also important to reiterate our earlier warning to operators of hotels aiding and abetting the exploitation of victims of human trafficking in their facilities. We have commenced a legal process to determine the next execution order for the hotel. The law shall definitely take its course,” she said.