Operatives of the Ogun State Security Network Agency, otherwise called Amotekun Corps, raided a brothel in Ifo Local Government Area of the state and arrested 16 sex workers.
The girls, who are between the ages of 12 and 29, were arrested from Railway Line Hotel, located along Old Bank Road in Ifo on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
They are identified as Annabelle Udo, Ubong Rejoice, Edaefe Sharon, Godwin Bassey, Okon Lovett, Eden Miracle, Monday Angel, Marvelous Samuel, Edet Nice, and Asukwo Gift.
Others include Effiong Joy, Effiong Blessing, Asukwo Faith, UK Saviour, Andrew Ella, and Eden Joy.
Parading the girls before journalists at the command’s headquarters of the corps in Abeokuta, the state commandant of the corps, Commander Alade Adedigba, said the raid was conducted at about 6:15 am on Wednesday following an intelligence report received on Saturday.
The commandant revealed that 14 of the girls were trafficked from Akwa Ibom, while the others came from Cross River and Delta states.
“We received intelligence reports on the 8th of this month, and based on that, we have been processing the intelligence. At about 6:15 am today, we were able to arrest 16 of them, ranging between 12 and 29 years of age,” Adedigba stated.
“They were all arrested at a venue, Railway Line Hotel, Old Bank Bus Stop, in Ifo town. The main suspect is Mrs Eden Joy. She was the one who trafficked all these individuals, but in her statement, she mentioned that the owner of the hotel, one Mrs Okutoro Yemisi, aged 60, is her boss.
According to the commander, during interrogation, the girls confessed that when they were brought from their various locations to Ifo, they were made to swear an oath while naked, with parts of their hair cut for rituals, which was why they felt unable to escape.
Adedigba said a sum of N819,600, various types of drugs, a carton of condoms, energy enhancers, and packs of tissue paper, among others, were recovered.
The suspects also revealed that tissue paper used by their clients was collected and kept by their boss.
“These victims also made us understand that most of the tissue paper used by customers is usually kept and handed over to the trafficker for some other purposes, ” Adedigba said.
“So, for those who patronise individuals like this, you need to be very careful for your own safety and security.”
While lamenting that the suspects are young people who should be in school but are instead held in a hidden location for financial gain, he warned that the state would not tolerate any form of lawlessness, indiscipline, or anything that could threaten security.
He added that the girls would be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for further investigation.
Speaking to journalists, one of the girls said she sleeps with up to 10 men in a day.
She further revealed that they hand over whatever they made to the madam, who only buys food for them.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
