The Oyo State Police Command has uncovered a human trafficking ring in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
According to Channels Television on Saturday, police operatives rescued 84 individuals, including a child, from a house in the Orogun area of the city, where they had allegedly been held against their will for an undisclosed period.
It was not immediately clear if any arrest was made during the operation.
While police have not issued any official statement concerning the operation, the report said preliminary investigations revealed that the victims are believed to be nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The victims were said to have been lured into Nigeria under false promises of employment opportunities.
The perpetrators allegedly extorted significant sums of money, reportedly in dollars, from the victims’ parents and relatives as part of the elaborate trafficking scheme.
The rescued individuals are currently being sheltered at the police headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the full scope of the operation and to ensure all those involved are brought to justice.
In a related development, the Nigerian government on Friday received 231 citizens repatriated from Ghana, including 204 victims of human trafficking and 27 suspects allegedly involved in cybercrime and trafficking activities.
The returnees were received in Lagos by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), in collaboration with Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
The operation was supported by Wema Bank, which provided transportation, meals, and stipends for the returnees.
Speaking at the handover event, Dominic Mensah, Head of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit at EOCO, explained that the arrests were made following a tip-off about a syndicate operating from a 50-house estate in Ghana.
“Operation Rescue Shield, which led to the arrests, was carried out simultaneously across 26 houses suspected to be used for illegal cyber activities,” Mensah said. “Initial arrests included 233 individuals, from which 204 were identified as victims, while 27 are suspected to be traffickers and internet fraudsters,” he said.
He added that the estate owner was under investigation for allegedly aiding the crime.
The victims, mostly young Nigerians lured with fake job offers, were reportedly smuggled into Ghana through illegal routes.
“Many of them had been held for months or even years, and were being used for cybercrime operations. Some were recruited to control and monitor newer victims on behalf of traffickers based in Nigeria,” Mensah added.
Of the 204 victims, 76 are from Edo State, with others from Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, and other states. At least 12 victims are under the age of 18.
Chairman of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, emphasized the need for massive awareness to curb human trafficking.
“Let the victims share their stories. We need media and community engagement to stop these crimes. Most traffickers are known to the victims—relatives or acquaintances. These criminals must be named and shamed like drug traffickers,” she said.
Comfort Agboko, NAPTIP Lagos Commander, urged parents to take greater responsibility in protecting their children from traffickers.
She noted that traffickers used various tricks, including promises of supermarket or office jobs in Lagos and abroad, and often instructed victims not to inform their families.
NAPTIP said it would profile the returnees and begin reintegration processes, while suspected traffickers would be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
