Police Arrest Four Suspects In Child Trafficking Ring, Luring Victims To Ghana For Pr0stitution
Police Arrest Four Suspects In Child Trafficking Ring, Luring Victims To Ghana For Prostitution
According to the police in a statement on Friday, 11 victims have been rescued while four suspected members of the network are now in custody.
The Lagos State Police Command says it has dismantled a trans-border child trafficking syndicate that allegedly specialised in recruiting and transporting young Nigerian women to Ghana for prostitution.
According to the police in a statement on Friday, 11 victims have been rescued while four suspected members of the network are now in custody.
“The operation began on August 13, 2025, when operatives of the Ilemba Hausa Division intercepted 15-year-old girl in the company of a commercial motorcyclist identified as Mustapha Abubakar, said to be one of the recruiters.
The police statement added that the teenager was minutes away from being moved across the border when she was rescued.
“The case was transferred to the Command’s Special Squad I, which — acting on “actionable intelligence” — launched a coordinated manhunt that led to multiple arrests across Lagos.
“Fifty-four-year-old Charles Chima was picked up in Amuwo Odofin, 36-year-old Emmanuel Nwaka was nabbed along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, and 21-year-old Princess John was arrested at Ojota,” he stated.
Investigators allege that the suspects are part of a wider criminal network recruiting young women from across Nigeria for sexual exploitation in Ghana.
Police say ten more victims — aged between 21 and 29 — were rescued during the follow-up operation.
All have been placed in protective care and are reportedly receiving medical and psychological support while efforts are underway to reunite them with their families.
The Lagos Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, praised the swift action of the operatives, vowing that the Command would continue to clamp down on human trafficking syndicates.
“This Command maintains zero tolerance for human trafficking and any form of exploitation,” Jimoh said in the statement signed by Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin.
“We urge members of the public to stay vigilant, watch out for vulnerable young persons, and report suspicious movements to the nearest police station.”
The four suspects remain in custody as investigations continue to uncover the full scope of the cross-border trafficking ring.
