Capie Fagé, a Cameroonian, who specializes in human trafficking has been arrested by The Nigerian Immigration Service, Zone A for allegedly attempting to
traffic four Nigerian women to Cameroon.
The Assistant Comptroller General in charge of the zone, Mr. Joseph Olaitan, told PUNCH Metro that Fagé and the ladies were arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the
ladies, Blessing Okunbor, Trinity Imuen, Elizabeth Erabor and Happy
Idahosa; were between the ages of 21 and 23.
Olaitan told our correspondent that the
women could not explain what they were going to do in Cameroon at the
time of their arrest.
He warned Nigerians, especially youths, not to be too desperate to leave the country so as not to fall victims to traffickers.
He said, “The ladies are from Edo State
and we suspect Capie (Fagé) wanted to traffic them. Immigration has been
seriously concerned with human trafficking because apart from being
against domestic and international law, it gives the country a bad
image.”
Olaitan said the suspects would be
handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in
Persons and other related matters for further investigation.
The ladies, however, denied being trafficked, adding that they were travelling to Cameroon to visit a friend.
Imuen said, “I am doing computer
training in Benin. The person I wanted to visit in Cameroon is my
friend. She used to live in Benin as well, but relocated five years ago.
I don’t know the work she does in Cameroon. It was my intention to
visit her and I decided to take three of my friends along.
“We got our passports, but on getting to
the airport on November 20, we did not know how to book plane tickets.
So we approached the Cameroonian and gave him the money and he told us
to come back some days later.
“On November 25, we went to collect our tickets from him, and while we were filling out our forms, immigration men arrested us.”
Another victim, Erabor, said she was a university admission seeker and had planned to return on December 15.
“We only wanted to go and visit Imuen’s
friend. We don’t know anybody else in Cameroon and we didn’t plan on
relocating there,” she said.
The Cameroonian, who also denied being a trafficker, said he had a valid passport.
He said he had been in Nigeria for two months and usually comes in to purchase shoes, which he sells in his country.
Zonal Coordinator, NAPTIP, Lagos, Mr. Joseph Famakin, told our correspondent that investigations were ongoing.
Famakin said the ladies were not suspects, but considered as victims.
“The fact that they are not teenagers
does not mean they cannot be trafficked. As long as the means through
which they were lured abroad was deceitful or forceful, it could be
considered as trafficking.
He said, “Also, Cameroon may not have been their final destination. All this will be unravelled in the course of investigation.”
