Police Bust Trans-Border Child Trafficking Gang, Rescue 11 Victims

T The Lagos State Police Command has dismantled a notorious trans-border child trafficking syndicate, rescuing eleven victims and arresting four suspects allegedly involved in recruiting and transporting young Nigerians to Ghana for prostitution.

In a statement released on Friday via X, the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said operatives of the Ilemba Hausa Division intercepted one of the suspects, 32-year-old Mustapha Abubakar, on August 13, 2025. Abubakar, a commercial motorcyclist, was caught with a 15-year-old female victim who was on the verge of being trafficked to Ghana.

The case was subsequently handed over to the Command’s Special Squad I, which, acting on intelligence, launched a coordinated operation that led to the arrest of three more suspects: 54-year-old Charles Chima at Amuwo Odofin, 36-year-old Emmanuel Nwaka along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, and 21-year-old Princess John at Ojota.

According to Hundeyin, further investigations uncovered ten additional victims, aged between 21 and 29, who were rescued and placed in protective care. “All rescued persons are receiving the necessary support, and arrangements are being made to reunite them with their families,” he said.

The suspects remain in police custody and are assisting investigators in exposing the full scope of the trafficking network. Hundeyin emphasized that preliminary findings confirmed the group’s involvement in trafficking young women from Nigeria to Ghana for sexual exploitation.

Commending the operatives for their professionalism, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, reiterated the Command’s zero tolerance for human trafficking. He urged Lagos residents to remain vigilant, monitor the welfare of young people, and promptly report suspicious activities to security agencies.