Four suspected human traffickers have been arrested during a raid on a popular hotel in Onitsha, Anambra State by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP.
The also rescued 17 victims during the operation carried out with military support at the facility located in the 33 area of the commercial city, also led to the arrest of two additional suspects allegedly linked to baby trafficking across states in the South-East.
NAPTIP’s Chief Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘NAPTIP stings human traffickers in Anambra: raids popular hotel in Onitsha, arrests four suspects, rescues 17 victims.’
Adekoye said the raid followed credible intelligence from a non-state actor, which indicated the presence of underage girls at the 45-room hotel and concerns over their worsening health conditions.
He said four of the rescued victims tested positive for HIV and are currently receiving counselling and medical support from NAPTIP caregivers and volunteers of the Anambra State AIDS Control Agency.
“The victims were recruited from Benue, Imo, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom states and trafficked to Onitsha for prostitution.
“They alleged that each of them was required to remit between N20,000 and N25,000 daily to their handler, popularly referred to as “madam,” after sleeping with multiple clients,” the statement said.
Some of the victims narrates how they were lured into the dirty business and their ordeal.
One of the victims said, “My boyfriend told me there was a job for me in Onitsha. When I arrived, the Madam sent someone to pick me at the park and introduced me to this hustling job.
“She said I would pay her N20,000 daily and that after one year she would give me a box of clothes and N500,000 so I could start my own business. It is not with a good mind that I am doing this job, but it was too late for me to refuse.”
Another victim, HIV carrier alleged that their handler confiscated medication provided by health workers.
“When they tested us and told me I was infected, they gave us drugs. But after they left, our Madam beat us for coming out to see them. She seized the medicine and warned us never to go for treatment again,” she said.
NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu-Bello, condemned the actions of their alleged handler, and expressed concern over the victims’ health.
“I want to sincerely thank the military in Onitsha and the Gender and Human Rights State Response Team under the Anambra State AIDS Control Agency for their timely support and collaboration during this operation.
“I am devastated by the health status of the rescued victims and the action of their so-called Madam, who confiscated their antiretroviral medicines and prevented them from accessing medical care. This is a criminal act, and we have launched a manhunt for her,” she said.
Adamu-Bello added that the hotel owner had been invited to be questioned to determine possible sanctions against the facility.
The NAPTIP boss reiterates the agency’s move to make 2026 “unpleasant” for human traffickers who refuse to abandon the illegal trade.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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