Police arrest transnational human trafficker, rescue two victims

The police in Enugu State, Nigeria’s South-east, say they have arrested a suspected transnational human trafficker in the state.

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The suspect, Raymond Wonna, 30, hails from Yala Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria’s South-south.

The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said the police operatives rescued two trafficked teenage girls from the suspect.

Like the suspect, the rescued victims hail from Yala Local Government Area, Cross River State, according to the police.

“They were intercepted on 30th July 2025, at about 2:00 p.m. by operatives of the Command’s Crack Tactical Squad during a routine patrol along the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway, Enugu,” Mr Ndukwe said.

Continuing, he said: “Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were being trafficked to Ghana under the guise of securing job opportunities.

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“Without the knowledge or consent of their parents or relatives, the suspect, who claimed to be a casual labourer, lured them from Ogoja, Cross River State, to work in a restaurant allegedly owned by his ‘baby mama’ in Ghana.”

The spokesperson said further findings indicate that the suspect also attempted to rape the victims while lodging them in a hotel, where they were kept pending departure to Ghana.

“The victims have been safely returned home and reunited with their families, while efforts are ongoing to track down other members of the trafficking network,” he stated.

The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Bitrus Giwa, has commended the operatives for their vigilance and swift intervention, Mr Ndukwe said.

Mr Giwa ordered an investigation and prosecution of the suspects involved in the alleged crime while urging police personnel to sustain the momentum against criminality in the state.

The commissioner also reiterated the commitment of the police in the state to combating human trafficking and other violent crimes.

The police chief called on Nigerians to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to the police for action.

Prohibited in Nigeria

Nigeria in 2015 enacted the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act which outlawed all acts of human trafficking in the country.

The Act prescribes imprisonment of not less than five years or a fine of not less than N1 million or both as general punishment for human trafficking.

However, the Act also prescribes imprisonment of not less than seven years or a fine of not less than N1 million or both as punishment for child trafficking.

Several persons have been convicted of human trafficking across the country.

The Kano State High Court, in July 2021, sentenced a man, Paul Owne, to 91 years in prison for kidnapping and trafficking of children in the state for sale in Onitsha, Anambra State.

A Federal High Court in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, in 2019, sentenced three persons to a combined 12 years imprisonment for trafficking a two-year-old male child and one other child.