By Simon Ebegbulem

BENIN—A 40-year-old woman, Mrs Halimatu Omoruyi Osifo, has been arrested by the Benin Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, over allegations of human trafficking.

Mrs Osifo, who hails from Igbanke but resides in Ugboko village, in Orhionwon Local Government Area of Edo State, was arrested by operatives of NAPTIP, with the support of officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.

The suspect was said to have recruited two girls, aged 18 and 20, promising them lucrative work outside the country.

However, the suspect sent the two girls to her daughter called Blessing, alias Stella, who is based in Togo for prostitution.

According to a statement by NAPTIP’s spokesman, Mr. Nduka Nwanwenne, “as soon as they arrived Togo, Blessing procured skimpy dresses and introduced them into prostitution and collected their earnings.

“Exhausted by the ordeals of prostitution, one of the girls, threw in the towel and said ‘I will not prostitute again; if they want to kill me, I am ready to die’.

“The girls had to hide some of their earnings to escape before being rescued by NAPTIP.”

Reacting, the Director General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donli, said the agency is poised to smoke out human traffickers wherever they maybe in Nigeria.

She warned traffickers not only to relocate out of Nigeria, but give up their illicit businesses, adding that the agency is already gathering intelligence in endemic communities in Nigeria with a view to getting traffickers out of business.