By Deborah Nnamdi
Operatives of the Cross River State Police Command have arrested one Victor Eyop for the alleged trafficking of girls from Nigeria to Libya.
The State Police Commissioner, Gyogon Grimah, confirmed this on Monday at a news conference in Calabar, the state capital.
Grimah noted that on November 9, one Mr Chidi Samuel, in Calabar, reported a case of human trafficking against the suspect.
According to him, Samuel claimed that the suspect and his wife, Mrs Esther Eyop, allegedly recruited Deborah Nyongh and two others, Anita Lawrence, 25, and Mabel Tom, 16, for human trafficking to Libya after they were tested for the Human Immune Virus, HIV, and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases, STIs.
“After the test, the suspect took them to his house and the next day gave them a substance they were to mix in their bath water for cleansing before embarking on the journey.
“On November 12, the suspect and his wife drove the girls to Bogobiri Street in Calabar, where they booked tickets and transported them to Kaduna with arrangements with one Hajiya (names unknown) to receive the girls in Kaduna,” he said.
The police boss explained that while in Kaduna, a taxi driver was sent to pick up the girls and transport them to Katsina, but along the road to Katsina, the vehicle developed a fault.
Grimah said it was at this point that the victims realized that they were being trafficked and started contacting people for help, and the complainant, Samuel, sent money to them through a Point of Sale, POS, the operator along the road.
He said with that money, the victims boarded a taxi back to Kaduna and found their way back to Calabar on
He said the suspect would be charged in court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
