The Enugu State Police Command has uncovered a suspected transnational human trafficking syndicate linked to prostitution, arresting a 50-year-old woman and rescuing a 20-year-old female victim in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of the state.
The arrest was disclosed in a statement issued on January 27, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe. He said the suspect, identified as Ibekwe Nkiru, was apprehended on January 16, 2026, by operatives of the Igbo-Eze South Police Division following swift action based on credible intelligence. The identity of the victim was withheld.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the victim, a native of Abia State, was allegedly deceived into resigning from her job in Aba after being promised a more lucrative employment opportunity in Senegal, which later turned out to be prostitution-related.
Ndukwe said that at about 7:10 p.m. on the same day, the suspect, who reportedly operates from Amorji-Nike in Enugu, took the victim to a shrine in Alor-Agu Community, Igbo-Eze South LGA, on the instructions of other syndicate members still at large. The visit was allegedly intended to make the victim swear an oath of allegiance ahead of the planned trafficking to Senegal.
However, acting on intelligence received at about 8:00 p.m., the Divisional Police Officer led a team of operatives to the location, where the suspect was arrested and the victim rescued.
The victim has since been debriefed and reunited with her family, while investigations are ongoing to dismantle the trafficking network and apprehend other members of the syndicate.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, psc, directed the State Criminal Investigation Department to intensify efforts to ensure that all those connected with the crime are arrested and prosecuted.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating human trafficking, prostitution and related crimes, and urged members of the public to support the police with timely and credible information to aid crime prevention and detection.
