Hyacinth Chinweuba
DSP Bala Elkana, the Lagos State Command Police Public Relations Officer yesterday disclosed that a four-man syndicate, allegedly responsible for trafficking a 13-year-old girl, John Agnes, from Akwa -Ibom State to Lagos for prostitution, have been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command.
The teenage girl it was learnt, was rescued alongside 23 other girls at a shanty in Railway, Abattoir area of Agege in Lagos, on Thursday.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects, Okon Felix, 32, Michael Edet Etim, 22, Victor Asuquo, 35, and Goodness Ebiefie, 32, recruit the girls from Akwa -Ibom state, with a promise to give them maid and sale representative jobs with attractive pays in Lagos.
However, the suspects who were notorious for the act, met their waterloo, after one Nwana Edet Offong, reported that her younger sister, Offiong Mary, 19, was missing in Akwa-Ibom state.
Investigation into the whereabouts of Mary, led to the discovery of the syndicate, who source for girls from humble background and entice them with fat paying jobs in Lagos.
According to the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Elkana Bala, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects on Thursday, the rescued girls were mainly from Oron in Akwa -Ibom state.
Elkana stated that the girls were between age 13 and 27, and paid N1,000 daily to their traffickers.
“Information about the activities of the traffickers reached the police in Lagos, after a missing girl in Akwa-Ibom, was said to be in Lagos. Our operatives swung into action. She was found and other girls who were also declared missing in Akwa-Ibom state were found”
“The girls were rescued at a shanty in Abattoir area of Lagos. They were trafficked from Akwa -Ibom to Lagos, they were forced into prostitution, where men patronise them for sexual pleasure, paying between N1,000 and N2,000. The girls were also forced to pay N1,000 daily to their traffickers. The girls were between age 13 and 27”
According to Elkana the names of the girls are: PRECIOUS OKON EDET 21YRS, OFFONG MARY 19YRS, FAVOUR IME BASSEY 22YRS, BLESSING STEVEN 17YRS, SUCCESS LINUS EDET 20YRS, NdIFREKY OKOH 24YRS, QUEEN OOOH 21YRS, ALICE EDED 20YRS, BLESSING ESIN 21YRS, MARY ETIM 20YRS, FAITH SUNDAY 25YRS, SONAJ BEAUTY 23YRS, JOHN AGNES 13YRS, MIRACLE EFFIONG 23YRS, ORIONG PATIENCE 20YRS, EFFIONG BLESSING 20YRS, VIVIAN EDET 23YRS, AMANDA ITA EFFIONG 14YRS, JOY OKOH TIMOTHY 21YRS, EDET PATIENCE 20YRS, SUNDAY GLORY 20YRS, GOODNESS NICOLAS EFFIONG 19YRS, SANDRA OKON EFFIONG 20YRS and GIFT EMMANUEL 27YRS.
Elkana, said that justice will prevail at the end of this investigation.