The Ondo State Police Command has said it has uncovered a human trafficking syndicate specialised in luring nationals of other West African countries to Nigeria, pretending to assist them get jobs and travel documents to Europe.

A statement by the command’s spokesperson, Olayinka Ayanlade, on Saturday, said police operatives of the Tactical Intelligence Response Squad (TIRS), Akure, have successfully rescued one David Angerinya, a Ghanaian national, who was allegedly trafficked into Nigeria under pretences.

“The operation followed a formal petition forwarded through the Interpol Liaison Office, Force Headquarters Abuja, requesting urgent police intervention in a case of transnational human trafficking involving a Ghanaian citizen allegedly lured to Nigeria in 2024 with the promise of employment by an unidentified associate,” Mr Ayanlade said.

“Acting swiftly on the report, detectives from the Tactical Intelligence Response Squad, led by DSP Lekan Alabi, commenced a targeted investigation and subsequently apprehended three principal suspects identified as:Hayford Nyamekye, Awine Alex and Kojo Felix.”

He said the victim was successfully rescued during the operation.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are part of a larger transnational trafficking syndicate that specialises in deceiving unsuspecting individuals, particularly from neighbouring West African countries, into travelling to Nigeria with false assurances of lucrative job opportunities and visa arrangements to Canada and other Western nations,” he said.

According to Mr Ayanlade, an additional 39 Ghanaian nationals were discovered to have fallen victim to the same network.

“Many of them were found without valid travel documents, while those who had any presented expired ones,” he explained.

He said all arrested suspects are in police custody and are cooperating with ongoing investigations.

He added that there are ongoing efforts to apprehend the owners and caretakers of the buildings where the victims were harboured, as they may have had knowledge of or directly facilitated the illegal activities of the syndicate.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, psc+, mnips, has reiterated the unwavering commitment of the Ondo State Police Command to combating human trafficking and all forms of transnational organised crime.

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“He urges members of the public to remain vigilant and report all suspicious movements or activities to the nearest police station or through the command’s emergency contact lines,” Mr Ayanlade added.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is in partnership with the Ondo State Government in the efforts to fight human trafficking in the state.

The state government provided office spaces to the state command of the NAPTIP to enable it to carry out its duties.

Also, in 2023, operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) arrested two suspects for alleged human trafficking of three girls from Akure, the Ondo State capital, to Libya.

The suspects were arrested after the father of one of the victims reported to the state command of NSCDC.

Despite the arrest, the trafficking of Nigerian women to Libya and other North African countries has continued unchecked, and only a few arrests have been made by security agencies.