Date: 2021-03-11

...Arrests human traffickers with 80 children

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Wednesday paraded five female illegal immigrants in Ilorin, Kwara state capital for alleged theft and sundry offences.

NCS under operation code-named Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT), North-Central, Sector 3, added that the arrested foreigners belong to a syndicate that specializes in stealing women wrappers and duping Nigerians with charm.

The service also paraded one male Nigerian who is the driver of the foreigners. Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) comprises members of the NCS, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies.

Parading the suspects in Ilorin, Kwara state capital Coordinator of the team Olugboyega Peters said the Fatima Mohammadu (38) from the Niger Republic, Judith Kofi (29) from Ghana, Fanta Camara (30) from Mali, Fadima Taore ((37) from Chad, Fatimata Camara (39) from the Benin Republic.

Comptroller Peters revealed that the team had from January till date arrested three sets of human traffickers with 80 children and handed over the same to the Immigration and National Agency for Prohibition of trafficking in persons (NAPTIP).

He said: "JBPT while conducting stop and search along Lokoja - Abuja highway, on the 21st of February, 2021, at about 1200 hours, intercepted one Mazda 626 with registration number ABJ 187 BF, conveying five (5) women from Zuba Abuja to Lokoja in Kogi State. On searching the vehicle, 15 bundles and 18 pieces of wrappers were found to be concealed in the bonnet and another component of the vehicle.

"The preliminary investigations revealed that the five women are from different countries of Chad, Ghana, Mali and Niger Republic. They were found to be illegal immigrants without any means of identification.

"Investigation further revealed that they operate as a syndicate comprising of two groups, specializes in duping and stealing of women wrappers and most times uses charm to perpetrate their crimes. One group operates in Kaduna and the other in Kano axis, prominently on big shops selling women’s wrappers as their targets. The 2 groups came into the country through Katsina and Seme illegal routes.

"The driver of Mazda 626 Mufutau Woye (34) is a Nigerian from Kwara State but resides in Kubwa FCT Abuja as a commercial driver. He was only hired to transport them "to and fro" Kogi State.

"Fatima Mohammadu (Nigerien) is the leader of the group. She invited and harbored Fadima Taore into the country. A Nigerian, Aisha by name resident in Kano, met Fatima Mohammadu and Judith Kofi in Libya and brought them into Nigeria. Fatimata Camara and Fanta Camara were brought into the country by their Nigerian boyfriends from the Benin Republic but were later abandoned in Nigeria. Fatimata Camara,

"Fatima Mohammadu and Fanta Camara confessed to stealing 15 bundles of the wrappers worth N255, 000 in Kogi state."

The customs boss said that "from the beginning of the year to date, Sector 3 has recorded 128 seizures. They include 1,584 foreign parboiled rice; 48 units of used vehicles; seven motorcycles; 1,864 jerry-cans of 25 liters of petrol; 18 Jerry-cans of 25 liters AGO; 21 bales of secondhand clothing, 86 and 20 pairs of men and women used cloths; 21 bags 50kg foreign sugar; five locally made Dane guns, jackknife, ax and cutlass and seven drums of PMS.

"Today, I make bold to say that since my assumption of duty as the coordinator of sector 3, we have recorded 242 seizures with total Duty Paid Value of N259.3 million."