Two teenage girls from Edo State, aged 13 and 14, have been rescued from a suspected human trafficking attempt after being taken to Zaria in Kaduna State.
One of the victims is reportedly living with sickle cell disease.
The girls were lured with promises of work in Italy, where they were told they would serve as housemaids for an elderly couple.
The trafficker, whose identity has not been disclosed, allegedly arranged for the girls to travel from Edo State to Kano by bus, instructing them not to inform their parents.
However, their journey was cut short when the trafficker contacted them in Zaria and told them to return home.
This was after his mother, Mrs. Comfort Etim, was arrested by police in connection with the disappearance of the girls.
The girls returned to Edo State on Wednesday night, four days after leaving their homes.
They were brought to the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking, now known as the Edo State Migration Agency, where they recounted their ordeal.
One of the victims, identified only 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 to abroad.
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“They took us to a motor-park in Aduwawa and placed us inside a bus to Kano State. He told the driver we are 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 second girl, who suffers from sickle cell anemia, expressed her initial excitement at the journey, saying she wanted to surprise her mother upon arrival in Italy.
“The boy told me her sister is 78 years. I said 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 that we should come home but the Kaduna man asked us to continue the journey,” the girl narrated.
The trafficker’s mother, Mrs. Comfort Etim, confirmed that her daughter had previously trafficked six other minors to Libya.
She stated that her daughter had interrogated the girls before arranging for their transport to the motor park.
Director General of the Edo State Migration Agency, Lucky Agazumah, condemned the act and confirmed that several accomplices have been arrested in connection with the case.
He also stated that sanctions would be imposed on the transport company that allowed unaccompanied minors to board their vehicle.
Agazumah assured that the agency would pursue justice vigorously, adding that the traffickers would face the full weight of the law.
