By Mary BASSEY, Senior Investigator Correspondent Lagos/
LAGOS-POLICE crack detectives attached to the Lagos State Police Command Crack Squad led by Chief Superintendent of Police CSP Adams Uba have busted a syndicate which specializes in luring teenage Nigerian girls abroad for prostitution and child labour under the guise of better jobs for them. The suspects, Messrs Chike Aniebonam and Donald Ovikute who are presently in Police custody were said to have been on the watch list of the police for some time now sequel to their uneconomic and inhuman activities.
Police sources said when intelligence information was received that the suspects had brought into Lagos some of the girls who they got from the Southern, Western and Eastern parts of Nigeria, they laid siege to the Mazamaza Hotel Lagos, where the girls were camped preparatory for shipment to Ghana, Benin Republic and Seria-Leon for the purpose.
According to sources, detectives who were at the hotel as patrons subsequently swooped on the suspects upon identification and rescued twelve teenage girls. At the station, the suspects confessed to have been in the business for the past seven years adding that he had shipped over 200 girls to different neighbouring countries inuding Europe for the purpose. He stressed that the agreement he had with the girls is that when they get to their destinations and start making money, they would pay back all expenses paid on them. He charged $3000 US Dollars per head.
It was not possible to get the reaction of the state Command PRO, SP Benjamin Hundeyin on the arrest but a source close to his office said the arrest was made on May 29, 2024 saying, “Upon information received about the activities of one Chike Aniebonam ‘my of Mazamaza, Lagos who have been transporting children from South-West, South-South, South- East to Lagos against their will to Ghana and other neighbouring countries for human trafficking and sex trade, operatives of the crack Squad led by CSP Adams B. Uba stormed the hideout and arrested the suspects. Twelve females between the ages of 13 to 19 years were rescued from their captors. The case is under investigation and the suspects will be charged to court at the end of investigation.”
In another development, two notorious cultists on the wanted list of the police have been arrested. The suspects, Messrs Adisa Femi Titilayo and Akinbowale Agbolade were said to be members of the dreaded Eye cult group that had terrorised Ikotun area of Lagos and environs for sometime now. They were tracked arrested based on the recent bloody clash between Eye cult group and Aiye Black Axe Confraternity in the community leaving two members of the rival cults dead.
Police sources who confirmed the arrest said, “On May 25, 2025, at about 0130hrs, information revealed activities of some notorious cultists at Ikotun area of Lagos state who had been on the wanted list of the police for terrorising the area, operatives of the CP Crack Squad immediately went after them and the following men were arrested: one Adisa Femi Titilayo ‘m’ and Akinbowale Agbolade ‘m’ were apprehended and one cut to size gun with ten live cartridges were recovered from them. The matter is under investigation.”
