The Zone 2 Police Command in Onikan, Lagos has successfully dismantled a criminal network responsible for trafficking young Nigerian girls to Mauritania for sexual exploitation.
According to a statement released Tuesday by Zonal Public Relations Officer, CSP Umma Ayuba, operatives of the Zonal Intelligence Response Squad, under the leadership of SP Francis Kpoughul, conducted a targeted operation on March 22 in the Meiran area of Lagos State, resulting in the arrest of two key suspects.
“Following intensive intelligence gathering, our operatives stormed their operational base where two suspects were apprehended,” CSP Ayuba confirmed in the statement.
During interrogation, the first suspect reportedly made shocking revelations about her involvement in the trafficking network. She admitted to being recruited by a Mauritania-based woman through an intermediary who has since been convicted and imprisoned for similar offenses.
The suspect disclosed that her role involved recruiting girls under 22 years of age specifically for sex work in Mauritania, receiving a commission of ₦50,000 for each victim successfully trafficked. In a disturbing development, she confessed to trafficking her own 19-year-old daughter as part of the operation and acknowledged receiving over ₦500,000 in total payments from her Mauritanian contact.
The second suspect, identified as an accomplice, claimed she was initially contracted to recruit girls under the pretense of securing domestic staff positions in Mauritania. She reportedly withdrew from the operation after discovering the true exploitative nature of the scheme.
“She stated that the only girl she attempted to recruit was rejected by the first suspect due to her age and physical appearance, which raised her suspicions about the actual purpose of the recruitment,” CSP Ayuba explained.
This latest bust comes amid growing concerns about human trafficking networks targeting vulnerable young Nigerians for exploitation abroad. Similar operations have been reported across West Africa, with trafficking routes extending to various countries in North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
Law enforcement sources indicate that investigations are ongoing to identify additional members of the network, particularly the Mauritania-based operators, with international cooperation being sought to dismantle the entire trafficking chain.
The Zone 2 Command has reiterated its commitment to combating human trafficking and has urged the public to report suspicious recruitment activities, particularly those targeting young women with promises of overseas employment opportunities.
