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A legal practitioner , Mr Ovu Mathew, has petitioned the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) over an alleged syndicate that is trafficking young girls in Ota, Ogun State.
Mathew also alleged that his life and that of his client’s guardians were in danger following their fight against the leaders of the syndicate
Mr Mathew in his petition to NAPTIP Area Commander, GRA Ikeja, Lagos, stated that his travails started when a young lady, Joy Okoro, who was allegedly trafficked to Ghana against her consent by the leaders of the syndicate, Fabian and Ijeoma managed to return to Nigeria and narrated her ordeals to him.
Mathew stated: “We are solicitors to Joy Okoro Jacob, hereinafter referred to as our client and on whose instructions we write to petition Mr. Fabian and Mrs. Ijeoma. Our client was living with her elder cousin and her cousin’s husband Mr. John and Mrs. Blessing Nwanja at Ota area of Ogun State where they run a sales shop.
“Our client informed us and we verily believe that three years ago, on July 25, 2017 to be precised, our client was in her cousin’s shop at Ota, when she became pressed and informed Mrs. Blessing Nwanja her cousin that she wanted to go and urinate, upon getting to the place, her cousin’s neighbour Mrs. Ijeoma approached our client and told her she was sure our client had not eaten since morning, and promised to take care of her. Mrs. Ijeoma took our client into a taxi and from there took her to Togo border where she intended to hand her over to another unknown woman who would take our client into prostitution.
“While they awaited the unknown woman, Mrs. Ijeoma went out to make a call, claiming she intended to buy water, that was when our client told the driver that she was forcefully brought to that place without the knowledge of her guardians and that she was trafficked to Ghana, pleading that the driver should help her. The driver had pity on her and took our client to an orphanage home in Ghana and our client was there for three years.
“All effort to find our client proved abortive until January 15 after one of the staff of the orphanage home at the request of our client, shared our client’s photographs on the social media in a bid to aid her in locating her family; then someone saw the post and called Mrs. Blessing Nwanja and told her that cousin was in Ghana; this made Mr. Nwanja to travel to Ghana, but the orphanage requested that our client’s parents had to come for her, they returned to Nigeria and picked up our client’s father and our client was returned to Nigeria on the February, 7.
“Upon her return, our client narrated how she was trafficked to Ghana by Mr. Fabian and Mrs. Ijeoma; the police was informed and Mrs. Ijeoma was arrested. But the police and the office of the DPP made it clear that they are not empowered by law to prosecute trafficking case.
“Our client reasonably suspected that Mr. Fabian and Mrs. Ijeoma are into the trafficking business together as after the matter was reported to the police, Mr. Fabian started threatening the lives of Mr. John and Mrs. Blessing Nwanja that they would be dealt with if they didn’t withdraw the case as they were trying to spoil business for them with their influence as they are a cabal.
“Just recently, our client’s cousin’s husband found out that police from Ghana also came looking for Mr Fabian and Ijeoma with another girl they also trafficked to Ghana.
“This trafficking cabal is wrecking havoc in Ota and its environs; we don’t know who they will target next. We crave your indulgence that you use your good offices to arrest and prosecute Mr. Fabian and Ijeoma for their dastardly act to stop their gang from further illegal act of trafficking.”
