The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Abuja today paraded 13 teenage Chinese girls who were rescued from three apartments where they were camped by a syndicate run by a chinese couple for commercial sex trade.
Though NIS spokesman, Joachim Olumba, said the suspects were apprehended in Lagos following a tip off from an informant, ireports-ng.com gathered that a national newspaper based in Lagos has been running reports on the activities of the syndicate in recent weeks. It was gathered that the teenage girls were arrested on Thursday, August 16 in three of the syndicate’s operational apartments located at 18, 24 and 26B Emina crescent, off Toyin street, Ikeja. A round of sex with any of the girls is said to cost $1000USD for a short time sex while overnight rigorous sex costs a minimum of $2500USD.
In his own account, Olumba said the Immigration Service got information that a Chinese couple, Mr and Mrs Sun Li connived with some Nigerians to traffic teenage girls into the country under the pretext of offering them jobs in factories.“Having gathered intelligence information, operatives of the Nigeria Immigration Service swooped on the operational locations of the syndicates at No. 18, 24 and 26B Emena Crescent, Ikeja, Lagos,” he said.
“During the operations a total number of 13 Chinese nationals made up of 11 females and two males were arrested”, the Immigration spokesman stated adding that preliminary investigation confirmed that most of the women were sponsored into the country by some “criminal human traffickers who are currently at large”.
Olumba however noted that “it is unfortunate that we have not been able to rescue the lady who called us, because she only provided the number of the house where she is being held, without the name of the street”, and urged members of the public to help with any information that can lead to the arrest of the “perpetrators of this ignoble business and rescue of our informant.”
The NIS officer who led the team that raided the syndicate’s homes, Ms Chinwe Obi, stated that the Chinese embassy in Abuja was in touch with the suspects adding that arrangements were being made to deport the girls to China.
One of the victims, Lu Yui Suan, who spoke through an interpreter however, denied allegations that they were arrested for prostitution adding that she came into the country in June, on the invitation of a friend without providing further details.
