Police arrest Hotelier, rescue 9 girls from sex slavery in Anambra

BY POLYCARP IFEANYI /AWKA

Police detectives in Awka, Anambra State have arrested a hotel proprietor, rescuing nine girls allegedly being used as sex workers.

A statement signed by the State Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, stated that the police received information from Anambra State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare yesterday on illicit business of the hotelier, prompting them to storm the hotel.

He said on interrogation of the rescued girls, aged between 15-23 revealed that the respective persons that brought them to the brothel lured them on the assurances of giving them jobs to alleviate poverty of their parents and dependants.

Ikenga also said the girls further confessed to being taken from Ebonyi, Enugu, Akwa-Ibom and Rivers State, disclosing that police command is in collaboration with the Anambra State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare to make sure that the girls are taken care of and return to their parents safely.

“The command has condemned the act and frowned at such persons who take advantages of vulnerable individuals to make money and described such places as a den where criminals take refuge . We urge the good people of Anambra to continue to provide the police with information about such places as the joint operatives to weed such harbour has commenced”, the statement read.

The police image maker however noted that the case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Awka for comprehensive investigation and shall be charged to court.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.