NAN-H-52
Trafficking
By Deborah Coker
Benin, Oct. 9, 2017 (NAN) The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has begun the prosecution of a woman, who allegedly trafficked two girls to Togo and forced them into prostitution before they escaped.
Mr Nduka Nwanwenne, the NAPTIP Zonal Commander in Edo, made this disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin, on Monday.
According to the commander, the 40-year-old woman, one Mrs Halimatu Osifo, is facing a four-count- charge of human trafficking before Justice P.I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Benin.
Nwanwenne said the mother of nine, allegedly recruited and trafficked the two girls to Togo for her first daughter, resident in Togo.
The NAPTIP commander disclosed that the accused’s daughter was also a victim of human trafficking, who finally settled in Togo.
He explained that the accused deceived the girls by promising to engage them as hair stylists in Togo but on arrival, they were introduced to prostitution.
Nwanwenne said that according to the girls, after working for a few days, and got tired of forced prostitution, they escaped and the Nigerian Embassy in Lome came to their rescue and transferred them to NAPTIP.
The court adjourned the case to Nov. 14 for further hearing. (NAN)
DCO/AOM/YEMI
Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Yemi Idris-Aduloju