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By Christopher Oji
The Lagos State Police Command has rescued 12 underage girls from a suspected human trafficking and prostitution syndicate operating in the Idumota area of the state.
The Command arrested a suspected trafficker connected to the illicit operation.
One of the suspects narrated how she was forced to sleep with over 50 men in one week.
During questioning, the girl narrated how she was allegedly lured from Delta State to Lagos with the promise of securing employment as a caterer. However, upon her arrival, she was reportedly forced into prostitution by the trafficking syndicate.
She told investigators that she was informed that she would have to serve the syndicate for six months before regaining her freedom.
The victim further alleged that she was compelled to have sex with numerous men daily and was subjected to harsh treatment by her handlers.
“I am 16 years old. I am from Imo State. I was learning how to bake in Asaba, Delta State, before a lady met me and promised to take me to Lagos where I would secure a N100,000 job. I told one of my friends that it was a good job, so my parents released me to the woman. When we arrived in Lagos, she took me to a hotel in Idumota and gave me transparent clothes and pants to wear.
“She gave me lubricant to put in my private parts. She forced me to sleep with all manner of men who paid N3,000 per round of sex. Sometimes, a customer would pay N2,500. Because the price is cheap and I am young, customers like sleeping with me. I can sleep with 10 to 30 men in a day. I won’t lie to you, I slept with over 50 men a week. Sometimes, I take up to 10 men a day. Sometimes, I take up to 15 men a day.
“I can say that I have slept with over 200 men in one month. After using me for slavery, she transferred me to her blood sister, who was beating me mercilessly. She was worse than the woman who brought me to Lagos. In fact, I escaped from death by divine intervention. I saw hell.”
In a chilling account, she revealed that on the day she escaped, she had allegedly been forced to sleep with more than 30 men and had sustained serious injuries in her private parts.
Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, disclosed this yesterday while addressing journalists during a rescue operation carried out in the area.
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The CP said the operation was launched following the rescue of a young girl who was found abandoned and bleeding on the streets of Lagos Island by a good Nigerian.
The victim was reportedly discovered lying in a pool of blood and was immediately taken to the Denton Police Station in Ebute Metta, where police officers commenced investigations into her condition.
According to the police, when she informed her handler that she could no longer continue because of the severe pain and injuries she had suffered, she was beaten and thrown out of the premises.
The injured girl reportedly wandered through parts of Lagos Island before she was rescued.
Acting on the information she provided, the police detectives launched an investigation that led to the rescue of 12 other girls believed to be victims of the same trafficking network.
CP Fatai said the victim informed investigators that about 30 girls were under the control of the syndicate, although only 12 had been rescued so far.
Preliminary investigations showed that some of the girls had spent about three months in captivity after being brought to Lagos from Delta State and other locations.
The commissioner disclosed that the primary victim was immediately taken to a hospital by officers attached to the Denton Division, where she received treatment and is currently recovering.
He added that the rescued girls were being profiled and interrogated to aid the ongoing investigations.
“We will continue with our investigation, which will lead to the prosecution of the principal suspect and other members of the syndicate,” the police commissioner stated.
He noted that the criminal network appeared to have been operating for a long time before it was uncovered through the victim’s rescue.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Lagos State Police Command to combating human trafficking, child exploitation and other organised crimes in the state.
