Anambra govt rescues four teenage girls from forced prostitution

The Anambra State Government has rescued four teenage girls from a suspected trafficker, who subjected them to forced prostitution.

The teenagers, aged between 13 and 15, were rescued on Thursday night by the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo.

Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the commissioner, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

Ms Ikeanyionwu said all the rescued teenagers hail from Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria.

She said the teenagers were rescued during a raid operation in a brothel in Delta State owned and managed by the suspected trafficker identified simply as Success.

The raid operation was carried out by officials of the ministry of women and social welfare in collaboration with police operatives from Anambra State.

The operation followed the arrest of the suspect in Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra State, while she was attempting to board a bus to Delta State alongside the teenagers.

“The suspect known as Success has been arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka where she was denied bail and committed to prison custody,” Ms Ikeanyionwu said.

She said the arrested suspect was initially taken to the Police Divisional Headquarters in Awada, near Onitsha, Anambra State, and later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department of the police, before finally being arraigned.

The rescued girls have narrated their experiences to the ministry, Ms Ikeanyionwu said.

The girls reportedly said that the suspect promised secure jobs for them in Agbor, a community in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, South-south Nigeria.

The teenagers, according to Ms Ikeanyionwu, said although the suspect had promised to secure jobs for them at a drinking spot, otherwise known as beer parlour, they were surprised to discover that it was prostitution that they were brought to do.

The teenagers said about five different men usually had sexual affairs with them every night.

They said the men who had the sexual affairs with them would pay between N1,000 and N2,000 to their madam, who only gave them N400 each from the pay for their daily feeding.

The teenagers also said they had made several attempts to escape but were punished severely when one of the girls revealed their escape plan to the suspect.

They said after the punishment, they were taken to a native doctor who forced them to take an oath never to run away or they would die.

The teenagers claimed they were lured into the act while they were seeking to raise money for their school fees.

Rescue operation

“When we got the information, we strategised on how to get these children rescued. So, we actually succeeded (and) brought the lady (suspect) and the children (the teenagers) into Anambra State,” Mrs Obinabo said in a video clip posted on the ministry’s Facebook page on Saturday.

The commissioner said the state government will leave “no stone unturned” in ensuring that traffickers are prosecuted according to the laws in the country.

“Commit it (trafficking offence) even tomorrow that is 25 December, we will arrest you that tomorrow and take you to court the next day. We are ready. We are not tired,” she said.

Prohibited in Nigeria

Nigeria in 2015 enacted the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act which outlawed all acts of human trafficking in the country.

The Act prescribes a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of N1 million for trafficking relating to sex and labour exploitation.

Several persons have been convicted for trafficking across the country.

A Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, in 2018, sentenced 49-year-old Ehie Ehirobo to three years imprisonment for human trafficking. Mrs Ehirobo was convicted for procuring persons for prostitution, among others.

Another court, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in 2019, sentenced three persons to seven-and five-years’ imprisonment for human trafficking.