Three suspected members of an inter-state human trafficking syndicate have been arrested by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) during a raid on a popular hotel in Katsina State.
Three young women, allegedly trafficked for sexual exploitation, were rescued during the operation, according to Vincent Adekoye, NAPTIP Press Officer, in a statement on Wednesday.
He explained that the raid, carried out by NAPTIP’s Katsina State Command, also led to the arrest of the hotel’s manager and two other staff members believed to be connected to the illicit activities. The victims, aged between 21 and 26, are from Benue and Rivers states.
The suspects are believed to supply victims to brothels and other centres, including locations outside Nigeria.
The Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, had recently directed all agency operatives nationwide to intensify surveillance and intelligence gathering, with a particular focus on hotels, bars, and motor parks, which have been identified as hubs for trafficking activities.
The statement revealed that the rescued victims were found in a small room within the hotel complex, while the suspected traffickers were occupying another well-furnished room where they were allegedly enjoying proceeds from the exploitation.
One of the victims said she and others were deceived into travelling to Katsina with promises of well-paid jobs.
“I was brought here by a woman (name withheld). She promised to give us a job and that we would be paid very well. I asked her the details of the job, but she said I will know the nature of the job when I get here. When we got here, she introduced us to prostitution, which was not part of what they told us before,” one of the victims reportedly said.
“We actually sleep with a lot of men, at least 20 men a day, and all the money we get goes to the chairlady of the place, by name Amarachi. We have no choice but to sleep with 20 men a day.
“Even when we are on our monthly period, we are being forced to sleep with the same number of men. Even when we are sick of tired, they will force us to sleep with me. They said it is not their business to know how we feel, but to engage in prostitution. They give us a fearless energy drink each to take every evening so that we can have energy to work, be awake to sleep with the men, and get money for them.
“They take all the money we make and leave us to feed ourselves,” the victim reportedly lamented with uncontrollable tears.
Expressing deep concern over the role of some hotels in aiding human trafficking, the NAPTIP Director General vowed that the hotel implicated in the operation would face legal consequences under Nigeria’s trafficking laws.
“I wish to commend the Operatives of NAPTIP in Katsina for the raid and rescue of the victims. Their stories are painful and sad. They were deceived, recruited, trafficked, and forced into prostitution. While they are facing horror every day from prostitution, their traffickers were somewhere within the same hotel, feeding fat on the proceeds of the exploitation,’ Bello said.
“It is also important to reiterate our earlier warning about operators of hotels aiding and abetting the exploitation of victims of human trafficking in their facilities. We have commenced a legal process to determine the next execution order for the hotel. The law shall take its course,” Bello added.
