Eleven individuals who were allegedly trafficked from Togo to Benin City, the capital of Edo state, have been rescued by operations from the Zone 5 Police Headquarters in Benin City.
The suspects, Yoba Castle and Noril Tobamawo, are accused of luring the victims—nine men and two women—into Benin City under the guise of arranging their passage to the United States.
When they arrived in Benin City, they were reportedly forced to perform odd jobs and endure hardships while the American trip was used to extract money from the relatives of the victims.
After arriving in Benin City, the traffickers allegedly contacted the relatives of their victims and demanded money so that the victims could travel to the United States.
One of the victims was said to have escaped to Togo and reported the issue to the Togolese police, who informed the Nigeria Police through the Interpol.
The Zone 5 Police Headquarters’ spokesman, SP Tijani Momoh, said they received intelligence that some foreigners from Togo had been trafficked to Nigeria and were residing in Ekosodi, Benin City.
He said police operatives stormed the area and rescued the victims while the two traffickers were arrested.
