- seal Abuja hotel for aiding sexual expedition, rescue 11 girls
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said on Tuesday, that it intercepted 13 girls that were about to be trafficked to Baghdad, Iraq, for possible sexual and labour exploitation.
NAPTIP, in a statement, said the interception was achieved through the support of partners working at the International Wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
It said the rescued girls whose ages range between 19 to 39 years old were allegedly deceived and recruited by some faceless unregistered labour recruiters suspected to be agents of a larger criminal labour recruiting gang operating between Nigeria and some Middle East Countries.
NAPTIP said the interception of the Iraq-bound girls followed a tip-off by some concerned partners who noticed the unusual movement of some unknown faces at the departure lounge of the Airport in the company of some timidly-looking girls all chorusing the same answer to different questions about their destination, and immediately alerted the Agency.
It, however, noted that preliminary investigations indicated that the rescued girls were issued 60 days visa, and yet signed a labour agreement of two years with them, indicating that as soon as the visas expire, they will be at the mercy of the master and lose all legal rights to demand anything including their legitimate salary.
NAPTIP said the investigation further revealed that they will be paid a sum of 250 dollars as monthly salary by their tax master out of which they will remit 4 months’ salary to the Agent here in Nigeria, and another huge sum to the Agent in Iraq.
“But from the testimonies of victims who passed through same condition, they were never paid regularly as expected, maybe four or five months only for the agreed contract period of two years. In fact, the major issue with their master is when they ask for their salary to be paid,” NAPTIP explained.
In a related event, NAPTIP said its Operatives, working on intelligence, sealed a popular Three Stars Hotel located at Kwali, Abuja, and rescued 11 underaged girls suspected of use for sexual expedition, barely one month after its Operatives bursted a private apartment located inside one of the highbrow estates in Abuja, and rescued nine pregnant girls suspected to be victims of human trafficking.
NAPTIP Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, expressed displeasure over the level of deceit by the traffickers, and called on parents and guardian to always be careful of fake promises for their children and wards.
She maintained that, in line with the provision of the Trafficking in Persons (Control of Activities of Organizations and Centres) Regulations 2019, NAPTIP is expected to issue clearance certificates to all travel agents or tour operators, and intending travellers for the purpose of educational excursions, recruitment for labour, sporting activities, cultural, music excursions or competitions as well as all organizations, shelters, and homes offering services for the purpose of rehabilitation of trafficked persons.
“These cases at hand are pathetic because these girls were deceived and recruited for a supposed job in Baghdad by unlicensed labour recruiters who are not known to any constituted authority in Nigeria. This implies that should anything happen to these girls, we will not be able to hold anyone responsible because they are undocumented labourers.
“It is painful that while unspecified number of victims are in those volatile and war-torn destination countries seeking help to be rescued, these one are happily embarking on a journey to the unknown.
“We are seriously worried about the situation because some who were rescued recently came home with life-threatening medical conditions while others escaped with a life-threatening wound and everlasting scars inflicted on them by their masters.
“We cannot close our eyes and allow these ones to join the statistics of stranded victims who will be calling on social media for help. We are also on the lookout for the unscrupulous unregistered recruiters who are behind all these scenarios.”
She appreciated the Management of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport with particular reference to the airport manager and his security personnel, the officials of the various airlines and sister law enforcement agencies who provided one form of assistance or the other.