Man arrested for allegedly trafficking girlfriend to Mali for prostitution
Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons have arrested a middle aged man, Emmanuel Stephen, in Abuja, for allegedly trafficking his 21 year old girlfriend to Mali for prostitution.
The agency’s Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Stella Nezan, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement.
According to the statement, the victim is said to be critically ill and has not been able to access any medical service because of her status as an illegal migrant.
The suspect, an indigene of Akoko, Ondo State resides in Karimajiji, Airport Road, Abuja, and was said to have been in a love relationship with the victim, an apprentice in one of the beauty stores in Abuja, promising to marry her.
During interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed that his elder sister in Mali called him early in the year and told him that she had graduated from her “Madam” and requested for a girl to be sent to her.
He added that he convinced his girlfriend who agreed, adding that they were later linked up with somebody in Benin City, Edo State, who arranged the road trip from Nigeria to Mali in April 2021.
According to Stephen, his sister promised that the girl will assist her in managing a beer parlour in Mali.
However, NAPTIP’s investigation revealed that as soon as the victim arrived in Mali, she was sold to another woman for N1.5m and was subsequently forced into prostitution.
Further investigations also revealed that the victim allegedly developed a strange sickness with other associated health challenges due to sexual contact with multiple partners.
The victim was said to have called her family in Nigeria and narrated her ordeal to them. Efforts by the family to return her proved abortive as her “Madam” insisted on collecting the sum of N1.5m.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Basheer Muhammed, expressed sadness over the fate of the victim and promised that the agency will work with other partners, including security agencies to rescue her.
