Police rescue teenagers trafficked to Ivory Coast, intercept two others in Cross River

The Nigeria Police have rescued two teenage girls allegedly trafficked from Ogoja, Cross River State, to Ivory Coast, where they were reportedly forced into commercial sex work.

The victims, identified as Victoria, 16, and Comfort, 17, were repatriated to Nigeria following the intervention of policemen attached to the Ogoja Divisional Headquarters.

The girls reportedly told officials that they were lured with promises of better opportunities but were instead taken to Ivory Coast, where they allegedly suffered exploitation, physical abuse and other forms of hardship.

In a separate operation, police officers also intercepted two other teenage girls who were allegedly being trafficked from Ogoja through Lagos to Ivory Coast.

The intervention reportedly prevented the girls from being taken out of the country and falling into the hands of the suspected trafficking syndicate.

Receiving the rescued girls, the wife of the Ogoja Local Government Council chairman, Mrs Christy Asari Agbeh, condemned child trafficking and described it as a crime that exposes children to exploitation and deprives them of their future.

Agbeh commended the police for rescuing the victims and directed that the two repatriated girls be taken to General Hospital, Ogoja, for medical examination as part of efforts to begin their rehabilitation and reintegration.

She urged parents, guardians, traditional rulers, religious leaders and community members to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements involving children to security agencies.

She also warned young people against accepting dubious offers of lucrative jobs or better opportunities abroad without proper verification.

Agbeh said the Ogoja Local Government Council would continue to collaborate with security agencies and other stakeholders to protect children from trafficking and ensure that those responsible for the crime face justice.