Five suspected members of a human
trafficking ring, paraded by the
National Agency for the Prohibition
of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP,
have confessed to taking Nigerian
girls to Dubai, the United Arab
Emirates, to become commercial s*x
workers.
They also admitted that they
recorded the girls’ n*de videos while
they were taking oaths…
According to PUNCH, the suspects –
Blessing Gabriel, 25; Precious Ejiro-
Owoh, 29; Rose Gabriel, 25; Priscilla
Bassey, 33; and 38-year-old Terry
Smooth – were apprehended by the
agency on September 8, 2015, while
one of their victims, identified only
as Ann, had been rescued.
While Ann was being rehabilitated
at the NAPTIP office, the suspects
were assisting with information that
could lead to the arrest of fleeing
members of the syndicate.
It was learnt that two of the victims
of the syndicate, Ann and Chisom,
had fled from Dubai in August,
making the gang to put their n**e
visuals on the social media.
The visuals, showing the girls
swearing to oaths of allegiance, were
said to have been sent to the agency.
The Lagos Zonal Command officials
of NAPTIP on Tuesday, September 8,
arrested Dubai-based Blessing who
confessed to have trafficked Ann.
It was learnt that the lady, who
reportedly sneaked into the country
for a traditional marriage, was
arrested at the Agboroko village, Iba
area of Lagos.
It was also learnt that the officials
arrested other gang members in the
Lekki Phase 1 and Ajah areas.
Blessing, who claimed that she
worked with a travel agency in
Dubai, confessed that she sent
N35,000 to bring Ann from Nigeria
as a commercial s*x worker in
Dubai.
The suspect claimed that the
arrangement was with the consent of
the victim.
She said, “I did not know the victim
from anywhere. Gina, who has not
yet been arrested, is my friend in
Dubai. She was the one who told me
that she needed a girl from Nigeria
to do “runs”. I then told Precious, my
Nigerian friend, to get me someone.
“Gina sent N35,000 to prepare the
girl that would be brought. That was
in July. So, it happened that the girl,
Ann, was brought to Dubai. I
personally went to pick her from the
airport.
“When she came to Gina, the girl
was taken inside a room, stripped
and asked to say an oath. I was not
there; I was not the person that
stripped her. She did the job for
about a month before she fled Dubai.
“I knew they were bringing her for
commercial s*x; and she was also
aware. She told Precious that she was
ready to travel out of the country
and do any kind of work.”
Precious, who confessed to luring the
girl to travel to Dubai, pleaded that it
was her first time in the deal.
The NAPTIP Lagos director, Joseph
Famakin, said the n**e video was
released on the Youtube, after Ann
escaped from the ring, adding that
the syndicate also forced the girls to
swear to oaths.
“We call on all Nigerians to join
hands with the agency to nip in the
bud human trafficking in the
country.”
