34 children rescued in human trafficking bust in central Nigeria

LAGOS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least 34 children have been rescued from a local trafficking group during a law enforcement patrol by the country's anti-drug agency along a highway in the central state of Kogi, authorities said on Friday.

In a statement, Femi Babafemi, a spokesperson for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said the victims, in two buses, were on their way from the southwest state of Ogun to Abuja, the country's capital. They were rescued in the early hours of Thursday by the NDLEA operatives along the Okene-Lokoja expressway in Kogi.

The minors, between the ages of 8 and 14, were initially trafficked from central Nigeria's Plateau state by a local human trafficking syndicate to Ogun, where they were distributed to different households as domestic servants. said Babafemi.

He said investigation found that some children were discovered to have served for two years without payment.

Unyimen Johnson, an officer of UNHCR in Nigeria, said at an event to commemorate the 2021 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons held in Benin City, south Nigeria in late July that Nigeria remains a country of origin, transit and destination for human trafficking.

Driven by the demand for cheap labor and commercial sex, trafficking rings across borders and within countries capitalize on economic, social and political vulnerabilities to exploit their victims, Johnson said.