Metro
NAPTIP arrests travel agent for human trafficking in Benin
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), on Thursday declared that a senior official of a travel agency in Edo State was arrested for suspected human trafficking offence.
The Zonal Commander of the agency in charge of Edo and Delta, Mr Nduka Nwanwenne, revealed the development to newsmen in Benin on Thursday.
According to him, the suspect was arrested at Oku community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of the state.
He added that the suspect, had been in the searchlight of the command for over sometime on the offense bothering on obtaining various sums of money from 21 victims, comprising males and females with a promise to take them to Europe.
He said the amounts collected from the people, according to him, ranged from N150,000 to N800,000 as he (suspect) promised the victims of his plans to take them to France, to watch the just-concluded Women FIFA World Cup.
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The commander added that the suspect, who was also a native doctor, usually ensured that the victims went through various rituals in his residence as part of the preparation for the foreign trip.
He said that investigations also revealed that the suspect usually raped his female victims.
He disclosed that six shrines – Ogun Izide (god of iron), Erigho Ogebor (father of wealth) and Ekpen Udo (Lion), Iyemor no Gebor (mother of wealth), Orunmila (ifa) and Osisihime (goddess of river), were found in his premises.
Nwanwenne added that other items recovered in the home of the suspect included, “bras and pants belonging to victims, female clothes, red, white and black clothes, usually tied by victims for oath-taking and ATM cards
He however, said that investigation was ongoing on the matter, while efforts were being made to apprehend other associates of the suspect before prosecuting him.
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