By joshua Kogi Police Hand Over Family Of Four Over Alleged Trafficking Cartel To NAPTIP In Abuja
… Suspects allegedly lured young women with fake job offers; victim rescued, NAPTIP pledges to recover others still abroad.
The Kogi State Police Command has handed over a family of four allegedly involved in a human trafficking operation in Lokoja to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP.
The suspects were received on Tuesday at the NAPTIP headquarters in Abuja by a representative of the Director General, Hajia Binta Adamu Bello, OON.
The handover followed weeks of intelligence gathering by the police in collaboration with Challenge Parenthood Initiative, CPI, a civil society organization working against gender-based violence and trafficking in the state.
According to the Kogi Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Afusat, the suspects are Mrs. Angela Sylvester, 38, her two daughters, and her son-in-law, Emmanuel David. The family was arrested in Lokoja after allegedly deceiving and transporting Miss Patience Adamu, 21, from Ibaji Quarters under the pretext of securing her a hairdressing job in Côte d’Ivoire.
Police investigations revealed that the cartel allegedly operated from Ibaji Quarters, using Ghana as a transit route to Côte d’Ivoire. Mrs. Sylvester’s two daughters were said to be receiving the girls there.
ASP Afusat explained that the suspects allegedly exploited the poverty of Miss Adamu, whose father had passed away, leaving her mother, a petty plantain hawker, to care for five children. “Patience was promised a hairdressing job with the suspect’s daughter in Côte d’Ivoire. Facing hardship, she accepted the offer hoping to help her family,” ASP Afusat stated during the parade of suspects at the Command headquarters in Lokoja.
The victim was later moved by Emmanuel David to a contact in Lagos who handed her over to Mrs. Sylvester’s daughter in Côte d’Ivoire. Miss Adamu later discovered there was no hairdressing job and was allegedly forced into prostitution. She managed to contact her family through a foreign call, which prompted her mother to report the case.
The mother, Mrs. Mercy Aliudo, 41, reported the incident to Challenge Parenthood Initiative. CPI then lodged a formal complaint with the Kogi State Police Command. Acting on credible intelligence, police operatives arrested the principal suspect and her accomplices.
Miss Adamu was safely returned to Nigeria last Saturday and reunited with her family. Further investigation indicated that other girls trafficked by the cartel may still be held in Côte d’Ivoire.
Upon conclusion of investigation by the police, the suspects were transferred to NAPTIP for further action in line with the agency’s mandate.
Executive Director of Challenge Parenthood Initiative, Eunice Abimbola Agbogun, said CPI received the report on 10/4/2026 and forwarded a formal complaint to the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Kankarofi, on 22/5/2025, leading to the arrests. She reiterated CPI’s commitment to cracking down on trafficking networks and urged residents to report suspicious movements of young women to security agencies.
Agbogun noted that trafficking remains a serious concern in Kogi State due to poverty, illiteracy, and Lokoja’s location bordering several states and the FCT. She called on NAPTIP to consider opening an office in Kogi to strengthen response efforts.
Mrs. Mercy Aliudo commended CPI and the police for rescuing her daughter after months of distress. Miss Patience Adamu described her experience as “painful and traumatic” and appealed to authorities to help repatriate other Nigerian women still trapped in exploitative situations abroad.
Receiving the suspects, NAPTIP Director General, Hajia Binta Adamu Bello, assured that efforts are underway to secure the return of other victims allegedly held by the cartel. She commended the Kogi Police Command and Challenge Parenthood Initiative for their collaboration and intelligence sharing.
“NAPTIP remains committed to preventing trafficking, rescuing victims, prosecuting offenders, and rehabilitating survivors. We urge the public to remain vigilant and share timely information with security agencies,” the DG said.
NAPTIP was established in 2003 and continues to work with partners to protect vulnerable persons from trafficking and exploitation across Nigeria.