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Edo agency intercepts two minors being trafficked to Libya

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The Director General of the Edo State Migration Agency, Lucky Agazumah, on Thursday, said that two female minors who were being trafficked to Libya were intercepted in Zaria, Kaduna State.

He noted that the minors aged 13 and 14 years, one a sickle cell sufferer, were lured to undertake the trip by traffickers who promised them better opportunities abroad by working as maids.

Speaking at the premises of the agency in Benin, the state capital, on Thursday, Agazumah said the transport firm responsible for transporting the unaccompanied minors would be sanctioned, while noting that other co-conspirators have been arrested.

He also vowed to ensure the traffickers face justice, as there would be no hiding place for human traffickers in the state.

He said, “The two female minors, among them, a sickle cell sufferer, in Edo State, aged 13 and 14, have been rescued while being trafficked to Libya.

“The minors had already gotten to Zaria in Kaduna State when their trafficker pressured them to return because his mother, Comfort Etim, was in the police net.

“They left Edo on Sunday and returned on Wednesday night.”

He said the girls said they were told they would be taken to Italy to work as maids to an old couple, but that they should not tell their parents.

They said their sponsor put them in a bus and gave them a number to call when they got to Kano State.

One of them, who identified herself as Success, said, “The boy told me her sister is in Italy and that she and her husband were old. He said they don’t have any children. He told me not to tell my mother. He said we should call our parents when we get abroad. They said the second girl does not look well, but she said she is well.

“They took us to a motor park in Aduwawa and placed us inside a bus to Kano State. He told the driver we were going to Kano and gave us a number to call when we got to Kano. He gave us hijab, milk, golden morn and water. I am happy that I am back home.”

The other victim, who is suffering from sickle cell, said she wanted to surprise her mother when she got to Italy.

According to her, “The boy told me her sister is 78 years old. I said that if I go, I will surprise my mother. I told them my body is sound. He told us to wear the hijab when we get to Kano. We are to call a man in Kano who will take us in from there. When we got to Zaria, he called us to return home, but the Kaduna man asked us to continue the journey.”

The mother of the suspected trafficker, Comfort Etim, said her daughter had previously taken six minors to Libya.

She said her daughter interrogated the children before she agreed to take them to the motor park.

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Crime

Gunmen invade ex-Ogun LG chairman’s residence

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An armed gang on Thursday morning invaded the residence of former Ijebu-Ode Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Emilola Gazal, carting away valuables, cash, and his vehicle.

Gazal, who is also the publisher of The Roots Magazine, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with our correspondent.

“The three armed men broke into my residence at Ijebu-Ode GRA at about 2 a.m. They collected all the cash with me after which they forced me to open my bank apps on my phone and transfer everything there to an account they provided. They left only N5,000 in my account.

“They also made away with my wife’s trinkets and with my ash-colour car. They actually told me they would be going away with my car. I am just going to report the incident to the police at Igbeba and Obalende, Ijebu-Ode”, Gazal told our correspondent.

PUNCH Online reports that this incident comes amid a spate of violent robberies and home invasions reported across Ogun State, particularly in the Ijebu area.

For example, earlier this year, the Ogun State Police Command killed a suspected armed robber in a gun duel along the Sagamu–Ijebu Ode Expressway.

The command, on September 12, 2025, also recently arrested a man linked to a burglary and armed robbery in Ayetoro, amounting to about N1.5 million in stolen goods.

Meanwhile, the regional security network, Amotekun Corps, has in past operations engaged criminal gangs in shootouts, neutralising suspects in Ogun’s border zones.

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Crime

How my father got me trafficked with fake job at Baghdad supermarket — Victim

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Following a six-hour raid by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, which led to the rescue of 24 suspected victims of human trafficking, one of the victims has vowed to sue her father for deceiving her into being trafficked.

The victim claimed that she was told by her father that his friend had a job for her at a supermarket in Baghdad, and was totally convinced she was going to better her life until her rescue by NAPTIP.

“My father told me that his friend has a job for me at a supermarket in Baghdad. He did not tell me that it is in Iraq.

“I know that Iraq is not a good place to work for now due to the crisis there, but I did not know that Baghdad is in Iraq. I thank the DG and her officers for rescuing me,” the victim said.

Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, who led a high-powered special operation team to the airport following a tip-off, revealed that among the suspected human traffickers arrested was a retired senior uniformed officer with one of the foremost law enforcement agencies in Nigeria, who is alleged to be a prominent member of the trafficking syndicate operating within the South West region of Nigeria.

In a statement by the National Press Officer of the agency on Wednesday, Bello said: “We observed that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is becoming a comfort zone for these traffickers, and that is why we have decided to shift attention to this airport.

“We will sustain this raid until they stop this unpatriotic and illicit trade in human beings.”

Expressing confidence in her team following the operation, she said: “We were able to arrest five suspected members of the trafficking gang who have been recruiting and trafficking our citizens to various tension-soaked countries, especially in the Middle East, for exploitation,” the DG said.

Bello explained that the victims, whose ages range between 15 and 26 years, were recruited from Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ondo, and Rivers States, and were heading to Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan.

The DG pointed out that a good number of the victims could not communicate in any other language apart from their local dialect, and most did not even know the location of their intended country of destination.

“They told my mother that they were taking me to Europe, where I would work and earn dollars. My parents were happy and they allowed me to follow them,” another victim narrated after the DG explained, with facts, what awaited them at their final destinations after being successfully trafficked.

Speaking further on the development, Bello expressed sadness over the activities of suspected human traffickers and unregistered labour recruiters, who have continued to deceive, recruit, and traffic Nigerians for various forms of exploitation.

“I was amazed that a father, who is a retired law enforcement officer of senior cadre, deceived his daughter and packaged her to be trafficked to Iraq for exploitation.

“This is incredibly unbelievable. All of them will be thoroughly investigated, and they will face the law.”

The NAPTIP boss commended the support of sister agencies at the airport, including the Director-General of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Manager, among others.

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Crime

Soldiers foil terrorists attack in Taraba, kill two suspects

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Troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/ Sector 3, Operation Whirl Stroke, have successfully foiled a terrorist attack and neutralised two suspected terrorists in Taraba.

This is contained in a statement released on Wednesday by Lt. Umar Muhammad, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Brigade Nigerian Army, Jalingo.

“Acting on credible intelligence, troops on  October 1, 2025, advanced to Tor-Ikyeghgba village where bandits were reported to be converging.

“On arrival at the general area, the troops made contact with the terrorists along the powerline axis and immediately engaged them with superior firepower, resulting in the neutralisation of two.

“During the operation, the following items were recovered; one locally fabricated pistol, two dane guns, three rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, one Baofeng radio, one motorcycle and other items,” it stated.

He quoted Brig. Gen. Kingsley Uwa, Commander of the brigade, commended the troops for their swift response, resilience, and professionalism.

Muhammad also quoted the Commander, as urging the troops to maintain the momentum,  assuring residents of the state that the brigade remained fully committed to ensuring their safety.

He therefore, called on members of the public to continue to support the ongoing operation ‘Lafiya na kowa’  by providing timely and credible information that would aid in the fight against criminality.

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