Immigration arrests 9 girls at Lagos airport over suspected trafficking

murtala muhammed international-airport lagos-nigeria

Operatives of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Airport Command, Lagos have arrested nine girls who were to be trafficked through the airport to Lebanon, Cairo, Dubai and India on Ethiopian, Peace, Egypt and East Airlines respectively.

NIS spokesman, Sunday James, said in a statement on Saturday that during interrogation four of them claimed to be traveling to take up employment without knowing their employers and without prior knowledge of the job they were going to take up.

The spokesman did not reveal the names of the girls.

Mr James, however, said two others who claimed they were going for visit later admitted they were going for ‘hustle’ in Dubai. The remaining two, he said, claimed they were going to India for medical treatment without referrals. When asked the nature of sickness, James said the suspects claimed it was yellow fever before admitting they were also going for ‘hustle’ in India.

The statement said the Comptroller General of NIS, Muhammad Babandede, called on parents “to be wary of juicy offers to their children by family members and non-family members to take their children abroad on a deceitful planned trip for employment, studies or visit which may end up in exploitation or death.”

He added: “The operatives at the various entry and exit point will never permit them departure, and if they so appear in an attempt to beat security they will continue to be arrested in our stepped-up clearance operation that is yielding positive results in the various arrests made around the borders of the country by NIS.”