By Mohammed Suleiman Dutse
The Nigerian Immigration Service Jigawa State Command has apprehended two human traffickers and rescued eight victims in the state.
The state comptroller, Mr Samson Agada made the disclosure while parading the suspects at the command headquarters, in Dutse.
He said “The men in the command succeeded in cutting the chain of the criminal on 11 October 2023 at about 0700hrs when our men intercepted the victims at the state capital motor Park.”
“Upon their interception and subsequent profiling and interrogation, the young girls confessed to us that, they were told to inform any security agents that they are in Jigawa to act as vendors for Supplements (New Life International Company)”.
The comptrollar explained that “on further interrogation, we discovered that their courier only use this deception to get them trafficked across the Border from Jigawa State to Niger Republic and onward to North Africa where they will board ship via the Atlantic Ocean to Europe”.
According to him, the victims are within the age of 16 and 24 from three different states of Abia, Benue and Ebonyi states.
“The couriers positioned themselves in layers.Viz-The recruiter (Based in Gboko- Peter Dickson), the Dutse Host chief (Based at Dutse) who arrange for the victims transit, accommodation at Dutse, and later on forward them to the last layer and Mr Emeka John (Based in Hadejia) who also arrange their final transit across the Border to Niger Republic”.
“The victims are six (6) Females and two (2) males, whose ages are from 16 to 24 as follows, Friday Amo (M) aged 24 from Benue state, Mary Godwin (F) aged 18 from Ebonyi state, Barnabas Agatta Chikwado (F) aged, from Abia state, Gar Goowin (M) aged 24 from Benue state”.
Others are, Antonia Nyior (F) aged 21 from Benue state, Nyior Rita (F) Aged 21 from Benue state, Victoria Amor (F) Aged 16 from Benue, Oliver Okechukwu aged 16 from Benue and Barnabas Agape Uchechi (F) aged 16 from Abia state).
Agada further disclosed that three persons suspected to have arranged for the victims’ transit have been apprehended by the command. “The victims and the three suspected agents will soon be handed over to the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Person (NAPTIP) for further action.
“We are therefore using this opportunity to appeal to all parents to watch over their children from being deceived by such agents who make outlandish promises while deceiving the young children for better life abroad, not minding the harsh consequences of going through the illegal routes with attendance hazard,” he warned.
