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NAPTIP Intercepts 13 Victims of Human Trafficking at Abuja Airport

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NAPTIP Intercepts 13 Victims of Human Trafficking at Abuja Airport


… Seals Up Hotel in Abuja, Rescues 11 Underaged Victims of Sexual Exploitation

By: Michael Mike

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) with the support of Partners, has intercepted 13 girls suspected to be victims of human trafficking en route to Baghdad, Iraq for sexual and labour exploitation.

A statement by the spokesman of the agency, Vincent Adekoye on Tuesday read that the girls whose ages range between 19 and 39 years old were allegedly deceived and recruited by some faceless unregistered Labour Recruiters who are suspected to be agents of a larger criminal labour recruiting gang operating between Nigeria and some Middle East countries.

Adekoye said the victims were incepted at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly before departing for Iraq.

He said similarly, the operatives of the agency have sealed up a popular three star hotel located at the ever-busy Kwali, in Kwali area council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and rescued 11 underaged girls suspected of use for sexual expedition.

Adekoye said luck ran out of on the owner of the hotel as she was arrested while other supporting staff escaped, noting that the development came barely one month after operatives of NAPTIP burst a private apartment located inside one of the highbrow estates in the heart of Abuja and rescued nine pregnant girls suspected to be victims of human trafficking.

He stated that the interception of the Iraq-bound girls followed a tip-off by some concerned partners who noticed the unusual movement of some unknown faces at the departure lounge of the Abuja Airport in the company of some timidly looking girls all chorusing the same answer to different questions about their destination, and immediately alerted the agency.

Speaking on the incident, the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, who witnessed the interception of the first batch of five girls at the Airport on her way out of Abuja for an official duty to Adamawa, expressed displeasure over the level of deceit by the traffickers and called on parents and guardian to always be careful of fake promises for their children and wards.

Shel said: “I wish to point out that our action is in line with the provision of the Trafficking in Persons (Control of Activities of Organisations and Centres) Regulations 2019, which empowers NAPTIP to issue clearance certificates to all travel agents or tour operators and intending travellers for the purpose of Educational excursions, Recruitment for Labour, Sporting activities, Cultural, music excursions or competitions as well as all organisations, shelters, and homes offering services for the purpose of rehabilitation of trafficked persons.

“The case at hand is pathetic because these girls were deceived and recruited for a supposed job in Baghdad by unlicensed labour recruiters who are not known to any constituted authority in Nigeria. This implies that should anything happen to these girls; we will not be able to hold anyone responsible because they are undocumented labourers.

Also, they were issued 60 days visa and yet signed a labour agreement of two years with them, noting that the implication of this is that as soon as the visa expires, they are at the mercy of the master and lose all legal rights to demand anything including their legitimate salary.

“Investigation revealed that they will be paid a sum of 250 dollars as monthly salary by their tax master out of which they will remit four months’ salary to the agent here in Nigeria and another huge sum to the agent in Iraq.

“From the testimonies of scores of victims who passed through the same condition, they were never paid regularly as expected, maybe four or five months only for the agreed contract period of two years. In fact, the major issue with their master is when they ask for their salary to be paid.

“It is painful that while unspecified numbers of victims are in those volatile and war-torn destination countries seeking help to be rescued, these are happily embarking on a journey to the unknown.

“We are seriously worried about the situation because some who were rescued recently came home with life-threatening medical conditions while others escaped with a life-threatening wound and everlasting scars inflicted on them by their masters.

“We cannot close our eyes and allow these ones to join the statistics of stranded victims who will are calling on social media for help. We are also on the lookout for the unscrupulous unregistered recruiters who are behind all these scenarios.

“While sincerely appreciating the Management of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport with particular reference to the airport manager and his security personnel, the officials of the various airlines and sister law enforcement agencies who provided one form of assistance or the other to us, I wish to sue for more cooperation to rescue these girls from the deceit of the mindless traffickers”, the Director General said.

NAPTIP Intercepts 13 Victims of Human Trafficking at Abuja Airport

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Crime

Bandits kill 12 in Kwara community attack

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Bandits kill 12 in Kwara community attack

By: Zagazola Makama

Suspected bandits on Sunday attacked Hybrid Force camp in Oke Ode, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara, killing 12 people.

Zagazola learnt that the attack occurred at about 8:50 a.m. when the gunmen stormed the community.

Troops from a patrol base in Babanla were immediately mobilised to the scene, but the attackers fled before their arrival.

A search of the area by the troops led to the discovery of 12 lifeless bodies comprising nine vigilantes and three civilians killed during the attack.

The corpses of the deceased were evacuated to Oke Ode Police Station while troops restored calm in the area.

The source said the general security situation in the area remained calm but unpredictable.
Bandits kill 12 in Kwara community attack

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Again suspected Boko Haram insurgents return to Kirawa with damnation

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Again suspected Boko Haram insurgents return to Kirawa with damnation

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Boko Haram Insurgents have again attacked Kirawa a border community in Borno state killing a civilian joint task force (CJTF) member and wounding several others in the process.

The Boko Haram insurgents ambushed the commuters driving into Kirawa a community in Bama council area and killed the CJTF in the process.

To punish some of the commuters further for fleeing away from the scene of the ambush, the insurgents burned down some of their vehicles before returning into the bush unchallenged.

After the attack died down, some motorists and passengers who sustained different degrees of injuries were treated in nearby clinics.

Sources revealed that trouble started when six vehicles loaded with food items and other luggages were ambushed and set ablaze by the insurgents along the Pulka-Kirawa road on Friday last week.

Senator representing Borno South, Mohammed Ndume reacting to the incident called on the military authorities to deploy more troops to safeguard the entire communities around Gwoza council area and Cameroun.

There is only one forward military base (FOB) in Kirawa and it is dominated by the Multi national joint task force MNJTF of mostly Camerounian troops mandated to pin down kirawa on both sides of the divides of the two countries.

A lot of the Intel policing of the community is done by CJTF even as families are still awaiting the rescue of a schoolgirl, Aisha Muhammad that was kidnapped by the insurgents a month ago when this very base was overrun leaving sorrow tears and blood in the community.

Again suspected Boko Haram insurgents return to Kirawa with damnation

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Police investigate killing of pastor in Delta

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Police investigate killing of pastor in Delta

By: Zagazola Makama

The Police Command in Delta has commenced investigation into the gruesome murder of Pastor Oputeh Monday, aged 59, who was killed by unknown assailants in Umuebu community, Ukwuani Local Government Area of the state.

Sources said that the case was reported by the deceased’s son, Oputeh Joshua, aged 26, who told police that his father had left home early for his farm along Amai/Umuebu farm road and instructed them to meet him later with a motorcycle.

“On their way, they heard gunshots and rushed into the bush where they discovered the lifeless body of their father lying on the ground with his head chopped off.

“Detectives from Obiaruku Division visited the scene of the crime and evacuated the corpse to Medisar Mortuary, Obiaruku, for preservation and autopsy,” the sources said.

The sources that preliminary investigation had commenced, while confidence-building patrols were ongoing in the affected area.

Police investigate killing of pastor in Delta

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