A combined operatives of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Department of State Services (DSS), have rescued a middle-aged Burundian woman and her three children suspected to be victims of trafficking at Umunoha village, Mbaitoli LGA, Imo State, where they were being allegedly exploited by their trafficker.
The victims: Ms Siniremera Snadrine Bizimana, Murwaneza Zertha Maecy, Akimana Ken Bethel and Umwiza Goodluck Collins were set free during the early morning sting operation carried out on their hiding mud house.
In a release signed and made available to Newsmen in Owerri on Wednesday by the Public Relations Unit of NAPTIP, Adekoye Vincent, said “investigation revealed that the victims were rescued based on a complaint from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees lodged at the headquarters of NAPTIP and directive from the Director General of the Agency, Dr. Fatima Waziri – Azi”.
“It was gathered that the victims who have refugee status in Kenya were trafficked to Lagos by yet to be identified human trafficker in September 2021 and thereafter moved to Umunoha, Mbaitoli, Imo State where their movement was restricted and forced into menial labour of all sorts on daily basis in order to feed”, the release added.
The statement noted that traveling documents and other valuable personal belongings were also confiscated by the masked trafficker in the process.
Commenting, Commander, Imo State Command of NAPTIP, Mr. Earnest Ogbu, posited that “account from the victims indicated that they might have been deceived by the trafficker into coming to Nigeria and a remote village in Imo State without any resistance”.
Director General of NAPTIP, Dr. Fatima Waziri – Azi, thanked all stakeholders and partners who provided information and assisted in ensuring a successful operation that led to the rescue of the victims, even as she specifically appreciated effort and collaboration of Imo State Command of the Department of State Services for providing the needed operational support.
The NAPTIP boss however assured that those behind the ordeal of the victims must be identified and prosecuted in accordance to the law. “I have directed our operatives to carry out diligent investigation on how the victims got to the village. The traffickers will be identified and made to face justice
