The Nigerian Immigration Service, Lagos Border Patrol Command, Seme, Badagry, Lagos State, has rescued a six-month-old baby and three others, suspected to be victims of human trafficking.
The Controller of the command, Comptroller Peter Adache, who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Badagry on Friday, said the victims were rescued when the officials intercepted a yet-to-be-identified couple suspected to be human traffickers.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Adache said the suspects were intercepted by the operatives around 1.30 p.m. on Monday, along Kankon Owode Road in Badagry.
“They were travelling to Burkina Faso, through the Republic of Benin, without any relevant documents. None of them had any travel documents when they were intercepted at Owode Border,” he said.
Adache said that during interrogation, it was revealed that one of the suspected traffickers, who is a food vendor and a citizen of Burkina Faso, lured them to travel with her to the country.
“The three ladies decided to follow her because she promised to give them a good job and salary. She called her husband, who is a citizen of the Benin Republic, and they arranged how to transport the three ladies and the child to Burkina Faso.
“The travelling expenses and feeding for the six persons were paid by the couple,” he said.
The controller said the victims would be handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons to help reunite them with their families.
“It is a painful situation and under this situation, we cannot in any way look away. I have been directed by the Assistant Controller General of Immigration in charge of Zone A to hand them over to NAPTIP.
“The Lagos Border Patrol Command of the NIS will continue to ensure compliance to immigration rules and regulations and equally ensure protection of Nigerians and reintegration of victims to their families,” he said.
