Two adolescent girls, aged 13 and 14—with one managing sickle cell disease—have been recovered in Edo State following a foiled human trafficking scheme targeting Libya.
The minors were intercepted and returned safely after traveling through multiple states before authorities intervened.
The girls left Benin City on a Sunday morning, boarding a bus at Aduwawa Motor Park bound for northern Nigeria. They had already reached Zaria in Kaduna State when their recruiter abruptly canceled their onward journey and instructed them to return home. The reversal came after the trafficker’s mother, Mrs. Comfort Etim, was arrested by police.
At the Edo State Migration Agency’s Benin office, the rescued girls explained they had been promised work as domestic helpers for an elderly couple in Italy. Their sponsor explicitly told them not to alert their families to the arrangement.
One girl, who goes by the name Success, recalled being given food supplies and clothing disguises for the trip and expressed relief at being brought back unharmed.
Her companion, who lives with sickle cell disease, shared that she believed the journey would let her surprise her mother with news of work abroad. Both minors are now reunited with their families and receiving support from child welfare services.
Lucky Agazumah, Director General of the Edo State Migration Agency, confirmed the rescue and announced that the transport company used to move the unaccompanied minors will face punitive measures.
He also revealed that several individuals linked to the trafficking network have been detained and promised that all perpetrators would face the full force of the law.