The Ogun State Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has successfully repatriated a 13-year-old girl from Burkina Faso, after she was trafficked for sexual exploitation.
The victim, a tailoring apprentice, was reportedly taken to the Francophone country last year by her 26-year-old divorced employer, Omotola Adedibu.
In Burkina Faso, the teenager was allegedly forced to have sexual relations with multiple men daily to repay a debt of 1.3 million CFA francs owed to a woman identified as Madam Sweet.
The Ogun State NAPTIP Commander, Abosede Jimoh, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing journalists at a sensitisation programme on human trafficking held at Gateway Secondary School, Ita Iyalode, Abeokuta.
Jimoh said, “One of the recent breakthroughs of our activities is the successful repatriation of a 13-year-old from Burkina Faso back to Abeokuta. The victim was a tailoring apprentice under a 26-year-old divorcee, Omotola Adedibu, who, along with other accomplices now at large, trafficked the girl for sexual exploitation.
“During investigation, the victim revealed that she was forced to sleep with up to 20 men daily, even during her menstrual cycle, over a period of more than six months, to repay 1.3 million CFA francs demanded by Madam Sweet. The major suspect, Omotola Adedibu, has been arrested and will soon be charged to court.”
Jimoh added that Ogun State remains a hotspot for human trafficking, calling for collective action among stakeholders to combat the menace. She noted that the sensitisation programme aimed to educate schoolchildren—who are particularly vulnerable to traffickers—on how to identify, resist, and report human trafficking.
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