Metro

NAPTIP Rescues Seven Girls From Iraq-bound Trafficking Ring In Abuja Hotel

Published

1 year ago

March 23, 2025

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons said it rescued seven young women believed to be victims of human trafficking after it raided a popular hotel in Zamaru, a few kilometres from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The girls “were being prepared to be trafficked to Baghdad, Iraq, for exploitation,” NAPTIP’s Chief Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, revealed in a statement Sunday evening.

The statement was titled ‘NAPTIP raids popular hotel near Abuja Airport harbouring Iraq–bound suspected human trafficking victims, rescues 7 victims.’

Adekoye said the operation, which followed a tip-off, also led to the arrest of the hotel manager, who is currently being interrogated for allegedly harbouring the victims.

The hotel had been under surveillance after concerned persons raised alarm over the unusual movement of young girls and strange-looking men within the premises—signs, NAPTIP says, pointed to the presence of a trafficking ring.

A preliminary profiling of the rescued victims revealed that six of them were recruited from Lagos, while one hails from Delta State.

They were allegedly lured with promises of “well-paying caregiving jobs in Iraq but later discovered they were being trafficked,” the statement read.

“They told me that I will do a househelp job in Baghdad and I will receive good salary every month.

“I believed them because I think say Baghdad is in another country. Them no tell me say I dey go work for Iraq,” one of the victims tearfully recounted, Adekoye wrote.

This latest rescue adds to a growing number of interceptions by NAPTIP, which said it has prevented over 60 suspected victims from being trafficked through the Abuja airport in recent months to volatile and war-torn Middle East countries.

Reacting to the development, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Bello, expressed deep concern over the involvement of service providers in human trafficking, noting that the hotel served as a “muster point” for traffickers operating between Nigeria and the Middle East.

Represented by the Director of Research and Programme Development, Mr. Josiah Emerole, the DG stated, “It is sad the way some service providers aid and abet the recruitment, transportation, transfer, and harbouring of Nigerians who are victims of human trafficking.

“The suspected victims are trafficked from different parts of the country and harboured in the hotel.

“The victims were being briefed on how to evade arrest and respond to questioning at the airport,” she added, noting that harbouring victims of trafficking is itself a punishable offence under the law.”

Bello warned that the agency would now invoke the full weight of the law to prosecute individuals or entities found complicit in trafficking activities.

NAPTIP said it has intensified its manhunt for other members of the trafficking network believed to be operating in collaboration with criminal syndicates in Iraq.

“The Manager of the hotel is being quizzed and we have also intensified the manhunt for other members of the trafficking gang working in collaboration with other criminal elements in Iraq,” the DG stated.

Metro

Ex-convict Arrested In Edo For Armed Robbery, Possession Of Firearm

Published

2 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) has arrested a 45-year-old ex-convict, Owen Osas, for alleged unlawful possession of firearms and suspected involvement in a robbery incident.

Osas was reportedly arrested with a cut-to-size single-barrel gun during a covert operation along Fishpond Road in Eyean, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area.

The arrest reportedly comes barely a year after he was released from prison, where he had served time for illegal possession of firearms and other criminal offences.

Osas, who confessed to the latest crime, also admitted to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity.

READ ALSO:Tragedy As Suspected Kidnappers Kill Young Entrepreneur In Edo
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Consequently, a victim of an alleged robbery incident, Reginia Izy, identified Osas as the person who robbed her a day before his arrest.
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The victim narrated that the suspect had approached her residence around 8 p.m., pretending to be familiar before carrying out the attack.
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‎The Deputy Commander Operations of ESSC, Richard Balogun, said the arrest was part of intensified efforts to rid Edo State of criminal elements.

READ ALSO:Edo South Senatorial Seat: Nothing Wrong Seeking Wike’s Support – Ogbeide-Ihama
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‎Balogun explained that operatives conduct both overt patrols and covert operations to track and apprehend suspects.
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He said, ‎“Our men are always on patrol. Some operate in plain clothes as part of covert strategies, while others are stationed at strategic locations.

“Osas, who is a former convict, was arrested with firearms and he also confessed to be a member of the Eiye Confraternity.”
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Metro

Gunmen Kidnap Businessman In Ibadan

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 60-year-old man in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The victim was kidnapped on Saturday while on his way to his residence.

The incident occurred at Jinarere, Alakia in Ibadan.

Public Relations Officer of the State Police command, Olayinka Ayanlade, when contacted, confirmed the incident.

Ayanlade in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, explained that efforts are ongoing to rescue the victim.

Ayanlade said, “Preliminary information reveals that the victim, a 60-year-old male and building materials trader, was accosted while returning home along the Jinarere axis of Alakia Road by four masked armed men, who forcefully whisked him away in an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla vehicle”.

Metro

Tragedy As Suspected Kidnappers Kill Young Entrepreneur In Edo

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

A 30-year-old entrepreneur and CEO of Principle Takeout, Justice Abu Oshioke, has been killed by suspected kidnappers in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

He was reportedly attacked by the suspected kidnappers on Saturday while on his way to pick up an order made for his child’s dedication on Sunday morning.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers attempted to force him into a nearby bush in a kidnapping attempt. However, he reportedly resisted and tried to escape.

In the course of the struggle, the assailants opened fire, shooting him multiple times.

Concerned residents quickly rushed him to a nearby medical facility, but he was confirmed dead on arrival.

The deceased was said to have recently gotten married and welcomed a baby boy.

The tragic event has turned a joyous occasion into a moment of grief for the family.

The shocking development has left the Ekpoma community in deep sorrow, with many residents expressing outrage over the growing insecurity in the area.

Edo State Police Command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem confirmed the incident and said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika has ordered a “full-scale investigation and intensified manhunt for those responsible.”

According to her, the Police, in collaboration with the military, local vigilantes, and hunters, are actively pursuing the perpetrators through coordinated operations.