At least 15 young women who were allegedly deceived with fake job offers and pushed into sex trafficking have been rescued by the Ondo State Police Command.
The command’s spokesperson, Olushola Ayanlade, confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday, adding that three members of the suspected trafficking ring have been arrested.
According to the police, the syndicate posed as recruiters offering jobs and opportunities to create social-media content, but their real aim was to exploit the women.
Ayanlade said officers of the command’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit acted on credible intelligence to track down the suspects.
“Acting on credible information, operatives arrested one Jayeola Joshua of Alagbaka, Akure, along with two others. Efforts are ongoing to catch the remaining members of the group,” he said.
Preliminary investigations showed that the traffickers lured their victims from different parts of the country with promises of well-paid roles — from domestic work to ushering jobs and supposed opportunities abroad.
When the victims arrived in Akure, they were kept in an apartment in Alagbaka, which served as the base for the criminal activities. The police said the setup revealed how organised groups prey on the desperation of young women searching for genuine opportunities.
Further findings showed that the victims were manipulated into sending nude photos and videos, which were then forwarded to clients seeking sexual services.
“The principal suspect reportedly took the largest share of the money made from the exploitation. The operation was disguised as creating ‘relationship content’ for social media, hiding the real motive,” the statement added.
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Police investigations also revealed that the apartment used for the operation was rented specifically for the illegal business. The Ondo State Commissioner of Police has ordered that the landlords be invited for questioning as part of the ongoing probe.
Human trafficking remains a serious issue in Nigeria. According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), about 11,000 Nigerian women were trafficked through the Mediterranean Sea in 2016 — a huge jump from 1,454 in 2014 — with most ending up in forced sex work.
A UNHCR report in 2018 also recorded about 18,000 Nigerian migrants arriving in Europe through the Mediterranean in 2017, while a 2019 UNDP report showed that Nigerians made up 17% of all African migrants heading to Europe.
