The police command in Enugu State says it has uncovered a transnational human trafficking scheme and rescued a 25-year-old female victim allegedly trafficked to Mali for prostitution.

The command, in a statement on Tuesday by its spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, also said it detained a 69-year-old suspect in connection with the offence.

Mr Ndukwe said the suspect was detained on January 21 by operatives of the command serving in the Igbo-Eze North Police Division, following a complaint lodged by the victim’s parents.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect and his cohorts, now at large, in May 2023, allegedly deceived the victim and her parents with the promise of securing her employment in a textile company in a foreign country.

“The victim was assured that she would earn $100 daily. However, the victim later found herself in Mali, where she was allegedly trafficked and forced into prostitution, and the syndicate reportedly made about 500,000 CFA francs from her exploitation,” he said.

Mr Ndukwe said the state’s commissioner of police, Mamman Giwa, had directed the deputy commissioner of police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to dismantle the trafficking network.

The spokesman said the commissioner also directed the SCID to investigate other criminal activities by the syndicate and to detain all those connected to the crime.

He urged parents, guardians, and young people to be wary of false promises of lucrative jobs and a better life abroad to avoid falling victim to traffickers’ schemes.

(NAN)