Nigeria: Delta Police Arrest Suspected Human Trafficker, Rescue Woman

What the report says

Delta State police in southern Nigeria said they arrested a suspected human trafficker and rescued a 25-year-old woman in an operation reported by Leadership and distributed by AllAfrica. The case centers on allegations that the woman was taken to Côte d’Ivoire after being promised vocational training in hairdressing, then forced into prostitution after arrival.

According to the article, police identified the suspect as 26-year-old Ese Betty Isiorho. A police spokesman said officers from the Effurun Area Command acted on a petition claiming the suspect had deceived the victim with false promises of training abroad. The report says the suspect allegedly admitted during questioning that she trafficked the rescued woman and another woman in her 20s to Côte d’Ivoire, where they were handed to a woman described as Madam Purity for prostitution.

Police said the rescued woman has been returned to Nigeria, reunited with her family and is receiving medical care. Authorities also said efforts were continuing to locate the second alleged victim, believed to still be in Côte d’Ivoire, and to identify other people connected to the suspected trafficking network. Delta State Police Commissioner Yemi Oyeniyi praised the officers involved and reiterated the command’s focus on combating human trafficking and organized crime. The case highlights the ongoing risks of cross-border trafficking in West Africa, where fraudulent job or training offers are sometimes used to exploit vulnerable young people.