The Ondo State Police Command says it has arrested several suspects involved in a transnational trafficking syndicate operating within the state.
In two major operations, 14 victims were rescued from the clutches of traffickers.
In a statement, Abayomi Jimoh, the police spokesperson, confirmed that the operations followed a complaint lodged by a Togolese national, Meale Yaoili, on January 22.
The victim reported that he managed to escape from a trafficking ring after being lured from Togo to Nigeria with promises of securing employment in Canada.
“The victim stated that he was deceived by one Tchodia Potolaw Fidel, now at large, who claimed to be residing in Canada and informed him that there was no Canadian Embassy in Togo,” the statement reads.
“During the operation, three victims were rescued from the illegal camp.”
Yaoili disclosed that after paying 800,000 CFA francs for the supposed job opportunity, his personal belongings were seized, and he was held against his will.
Following the complaint, the police said six suspects were arrested.
“These included Cleude Grao, Samuel Dsiwa, Michael Amissa, Olayiwola Kazeem, Akinubi Adebayo, and Oluwole Vincent, the landlord of the property where the victims were held.
In a related development, another trafficking ring was uncovered on January 23. This followed a case reported by the Ojomu of Oba-Ile and was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
“Preliminary findings revealed that the suspects in this case were illegal immigrants from the Republic of Chad, residing in a duplex apartment in the OSOPADEC area of Akure.
“Umaru Baba, the key suspect, is accused of leading this transnational criminal syndicate that recruited individuals for trafficking and modern-day slavery.
“The suspect allegedly operates as a representative of a company involved in online marketing of various products, through which he lured and harboured eleven able-bodied men and one female under the guise of commission-based marketing,” the statement added.
“The suspects arrested in this operation include Husein Abdullahi (26), Hassan Yaya (23), Umaru Samida (19), Umaru Buba (24), Mohammed Almat (24), Saleh Abduraman (23), Musa Mohammed (22), Mohammed Watala (20), Ali Mohammad (26), Hassan Hussein (24), and Yusuf Yakubu (23).
“The police investigation revealed that all of the victims were Chadian nationals who had been illegally transported into Nigeria, likely on their way to the Cameroon border.
“The suspects are currently in police custody, while the foreign nationals are being treated as victims of human trafficking,” the statement reads.
The police also noted that the landlord of the property where the trafficking activities took place is being questioned for his possible negligence in allowing such activities to occur under his roof.