My parents were aware of my mission to Dubai
A 13-year-old girl, Uwaifor Gift Gold has revealed that her parents were aware of her mission to Dubai.
The senior secondary school girl (SS1) drop out, who hails from Edo state was among the 10 trafficking victims paraded at the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, (FCIID) Annex, Alagbon at Lagos state.
According to her, my aunt who is based abroad approached my parents that she will assist me to travel to Dubai to work at a brothel.
“I stopped going to school last year before the pandemic, during the period of the pandemic I went to a skill acquisition program where l learned how to bake a cake but since then there was no money to continue my education or even put what I learned into practice.
“So when my aunt said she will assist me to travel abroad I accepted the offer,” she added.
Izuchukwu Ejiofor, one of the suspects said he worked with the traveling agent that prepared their documents but didn’t know their mission in Dubai.
AIG Usman Alhassan Belel, informed journalists during a press briefing, that the victims were rescued in the Republic of Benin, following an intelligence report received from a non-governmental organization through the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos.
“On August 8, 2021, the bureau received an intelligence report from a non-governmental organization through the Nigeria Police Force State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos, that 10 girls were about to be trafficked to Dubai, UAE, through Cotonou and were lodged at NIS Hotel, near Scoa Gbeto, Cotonou, Republic of Benin, preparatory for their departure.
“The National Centre Bureau, Abuja, INTERPOL, was able to inform our counterpart at NCB in Cotonou, who swung into action and apprehended two suspects, rescued the 10 girls, and repatriated them to Nigeria.
The names of the suspects are, Ejiofor Izuchukwu and Nzube Okafor.
The rescued victims are, Gift Uwaifor Gold, 13; Moses Endurance Ella, 21; Onyenweaku Nkiruka Abigail 26; Ayang Alex Destiny, 21;Ikpi Janet Ebri , 23; Samuel Chisom Igwe, 24; Noyogiere Debby , 23; Inalegwu Faith Eneh , 21; Akuchi Jennifer Nndubuisi, 32; Happiness Ndukwe, 25.”
He added that, in the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the traffickers belonged to a syndicate based in Dubai, with some agents in Nigeria and Cotonou.
“They (suspects) were able to secure some of the victims’ passports from Nigeria while others were obtained from the Republic of Benin with the assistance of some immigration officers who backdated the stamp on their passports to fulfil the two weeks quarantine period despite their arrival at the Republic of Benin some days before their rescue.
They were scheduled to be airlifted on August 19, 2021, to Dubai.
On this note, the 10 girls are hereby handed over to the National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons for further actions while the INTERPOL assisted the agency in locating and arresting other members of the syndicate in their countries of residence,” he added.
By Ifeoma Ikem
