Niger Police Rescue 37 Human Trafficking Victims, Arrest 10 Suspects
The Niger State Police Command has successfully rescued 37 victims of human trafficking and apprehended 10 suspected traffickers in Minna, following a joint operation carried out in collaboration with INTERPOL Abuja.
The operation, which took place on July 18 at about 12:30 p.m., was based on credible intelligence and was led by detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The syndicate had reportedly smuggled the victims into Nigeria through illegal border route.
According to police sources, the case was initially tracked and referred to the Niger State Command by the Commissioner of Police in charge of INTERPOL, CP Yemi Ajayi, who had been monitoring the group’s movements into Minna.
“Acting swiftly on the intelligence received, our operatives traced and rescued 37 victims who had been trafficked from various West African countries into Nigeria,” the source confirmed.
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The rescued victims comprise 24 nationals of Côte d’Ivoire, 7 from Mali, 3 from Guinea Conakry, 2 from Senegal, and 1 from Burkina Faso. They have all been placed in protective custody.
During the operation, 10 suspected traffickers were arrested. The suspects include: Seiwu Doumbia (Côte d’Ivoire), Thiarno Balbe (Guinea Conakry), Hashimu Dauda Kolo (Nigeria), Usman Doumbia (Côte d’Ivoire), Musa Konate (Côte d’Ivoire), Lamins Watara (Senegal), Racin Diouf (Niger Republic), Adamu Zarbu (Burkina Faso), Alhassan Konde (Guinea Conakry), and Dango Aminatu (Burkina Faso).
Police said most of the suspects had no valid travel documents, and during preliminary interrogation, they claimed to have come to Nigeria for “online business.” However, only one of them could communicate in English, and even then, not fluently.
A senior police official assured that investigations are ongoing to dismantle the trafficking network. He also stated that the Force is working closely with international partners and relevant agencies to ensure justice is served and the rescued victims are safely repatriated to their home countries.
By PRNigeria
