NDLEA rescues five pregnant ‘victims of child trafficking’ in Imo

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted suspected victims of child trafficking in Imo state.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, spoke on Sunday while giving details of the agency’s activities across the country.

Babafemi said the operatives made the interception while on patrol along Aba-Owerri expressway on Wednesday.

According to the spokesperson, the girls were suspected to be victims of child trafficking.

He said they were picked up while being relocated from their hideout in the Naze area of Owerri, the state capital to another part of the city.

Babafemi identified the victims as Chioma Emmanuel, 15; Uma Faith, 15; Divine Adimonye, 17; Opara Gift, 15; and Amarachi Mbata, 16. 

“In their statements, they claimed they didn’t know the men who impregnated them,” he added.

“The Imo state command of the agency has since been directed to hand them over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for further investigations.”

Speaking on more activities, Babafemi said the agency arrested a passenger identified as Ugwu Peter Tochukwu who was travelling through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to Oman on a Qatar Airways flight.

“Upon a thorough search of his luggage, 7.50 kilograms of skunk were discovered concealed inside crayfish mixed with dry bitter leaf,” Babafemi said.

“In the same vein, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations attached to some courier companies also intercepted Dubai-bound 2.9 kilograms of skunk and 14 grams of methamphetamine concealed in bags of semovita and soles of ladies’ high heel shoes respectively.”

MORE ARRESTS IN ABUJA, OGUN, KOGI

Babafemi said two suspects identified as Moses Akowe, 32, and Sunday Gabriel, 31, were arrested with 227.1kgs of cannabis on Tuesday in Ikebe village, Ankpa LGA of Kogi state.

The agency said 27-year-old Kingsley Chimaobi was arrested with 6,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup along Lokogoma-Abuja road on the same day.

“A total of 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 55kgs and 600 bottles of codeine-based syrup seized from the duo of Salisu Murtala and Shafi’u Dahiru on Tuesday 11th September along Abuja road have been traced to two other suspects: Muntari Nasiru and Yusuf Ali who were arrested in follow up operations in Kano,” the statement added.

“Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday 13th September sentenced to five years imprisonment a drug dealer, Segun Odeyemi for trafficking and dealing in 3,842 kilograms of skunk. 

“He was arrested on Saturday 1st July while conveying 89 jumbo bags of the illicit substance in his truck around Eleganza area of Ajah, Lekki. He was subsequently charged in suit number FHC/L/388C/2023 presided over by Justice Akintayo Aluko.”

Babafemi added that the agency is committed to ridding the country of illicit drugs.