The Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps arrested two men, Babatunde Oluwasola and Dada Fowowe, on Monday for their alleged involvement in human trafficking.
The command’s spokesman, Mr. Daniel Aidamenbor, disclosed this in a statement released to the media.
Aidamenbor stated that the suspects were apprehended in Akure and Ondo towns in Ondo State. They were allegedly involved in recruiting three young girls to travel to Libya in April of this year.
Aidamenbor provided details, saying, “Babatunde Oluwasola, also known as Osanle, aged 56 and a carpenter from Osun State but residing in Akure, recruited three girls from Akure to Libya sometime around April 2023. He enlisted the help of Dada Fowowe, also known as Iya Alaso, aged 47 and a trader from Ondo State.
The victims, who journeyed through the desert to Libya, contacted Babatunde two weeks after their departure from Akure, Ondo State, to inform him of their arrival in Libya.
Among the victims was a 15-year-old girl who had left her parents in Akure without informing them of her journey. It was only upon her arrival in Libya that she realized the situation was not as she had expected.
She reached out to her father, who had been searching for her, for help. Her father then reported the case to the NSCDC, Ondo State Command.
Aidamenbor mentioned that the suspects had already made confessional statements, and following the investigation, the case would be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for further action.