The Ondo State Police Command has uncovered a human trafficking syndicate specialised in luring nationals of other West African countries to Nigeria, pretending to assist them get jobs and travel documents to Europe.
Penpushing reports that the Command Public Relations Officer Olayinka Ayanlade, made this known in a statement adding that operatives of the Tactical Intelligence Response Squad (TIRS), Akure, successfully rescued one David Angerinya, a Ghanaian national, who was allegedly trafficked into Nigeria under pretences.
‘The operation followed a formal petition forwarded through the Interpol Liaison Office, Force Headquarters Abuja, requesting urgent police intervention in a case of transnational human trafficking involving a Ghanaian citizen”, said
Penpushing further report Ayanlade explained that the Ghanaian citizen allegedly lured to Nigeria in 2024 with the promise of employment by an unidentified associate.
“Acting swiftly on the report, detectives from the Tactical Intelligence Response Squad, led by DSP Lekan Alabi, commenced a targeted investigation and subsequently apprehended three principal suspects identified as:Hayford Nyamekye, Awine Alex and Kojo Felix.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are part of a larger transnational trafficking syndicate that specialises in deceiving unsuspecting individuals, particularly from neighbouring West African countries, into travelling to Nigeria with false assurances of lucrative job opportunities and visa arrangements to Canada and other Western nations,” he said.
Penpushing also reports that Ayanlade, stated that in similar vein, an additional 39 Ghanaian nationals were discovered to have fallen victim to the same network, adding that many of them were found without valid travel documents, while those who had any presented expired ones,
The command spokesperson he explained that all arrested suspects are in police custody and are cooperating with ongoing investigations, emphasizing that there are ongoing efforts to apprehend the owners and caretakers of the buildings where the victims were harboured, as they may have had knowledge of or directly facilitated the illegal activities of the syndicate.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, has reiterated the unwavering commitment of the Ondo State Police Command to combating human trafficking and all forms of transnational organised crime’, the statement stressed.
“He urges members of the public to remain vigilant and report all suspicious movements or activities to the nearest police station or through the command’s emergency contact lines,” Mr Ayanlade added.
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