Police rescues 32 teenagers in Ebonyi

Police operatives in Ebonyi have rescued 32 trafficked persons in the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba, confirmed the development when he paraded two suspects arrested by the police for allegedly trafficking the victims at the headquarters of the state police command in Abakaliki on Friday

The suspects were – Nwagboduhu Ekene (20) and Nwaoko Godwin (24).

He said the victims who were trafficked from Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Rivers and five other states for forced labour and sexual exploitation were kept in a two-room apartment at Okposi Umuaghara community, Ezza North Local Government Area of the state.

The victims, according to the CP, were between the ages of 16 and 17 years.

READ ALSO: Police arrests man, three others for wife’s murder in Ebonyi

Garba said the command moved into action after one Mrs Nwankwo Ijioma, reported that her daughter, Miss Nwankwo Childera, was missing.

He said: “In the course of the investigation, a company’s advertisement sheet captioned ‘NEO life’ containing a phone number was found in the daughter’s room. The owner of the phone, who was later identified as Christian Nwankwo, ‘M’, age 19 years, was traced and arrested.

“The children are trafficked from different parts of the country and are being used for forced labour and sexual exploitation, in the name of networking/hawking NEO life company products.

“The suspects rented a two-room apartment at Diamond Villa lodge adjacent to Ebonyi State University Medical Department, PRESCO campus, as a place of abode for the victims.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now