A suspected child trafficker, Mustapha Abubakar, has revealed how his gang traffics young Nigerian girls to Ghana for prostitution.
The suspect, who often disguised as a commercial motorcycle operator in the Ojo area of the state, confessed to trafficking several young girls recruited from different parts of Nigeria and selling them to “sex merchants” in other West African countries.
“We lure the girls with promises of lucrative job offers in countries like Ghana, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire. But when they get there, they are sold into the sex trade,” he said.
He added, “My job is to carry them across the Seme border through bush paths into the Benin Republic. I then hand them over to another member of the gang on the Benin Republic side of the border post.”
Mustapha, who said he has lost count of the number of girls he has helped the gang cross, admitted to police interrogators at the command headquarters that he did it for a small fee.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest, stating that four members of the gang were apprehended by detectives from the Lagos State Police Command.
Hundeyin said the detectives busted a notorious trans-border child trafficking gang, rescuing 11 victims and arresting four suspects involved in recruiting and transporting young Nigerians to Ghana for prostitution.
“On August 13, 2025, operatives of the Ilemba Hausa Division intercepted and arrested one Mustapha Abubakar, who was suspected of being an okada operator and recruiter. He was in possession of a 15-year-old female victim who was on the verge of being trafficked to Ghana for prostitution,” Hundeyin explained.
He added, “The case was then transferred to the Special Squad I of the Command, which, supported by actionable intelligence, launched a swift and coordinated manhunt that led to the arrest of Charles Chima (54) at Amuwo Odofin, Emmanuel Nwaka (36) along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, and Princess John (21) at Ojota. Investigations revealed that all arrested suspects are part of a criminal network that recruits and traffics young women from Nigeria to Ghana.”
He continued, “Further investigations led to the safe rescue of an additional ten victims aged between 21 and 29. All rescued persons are now in protective care, receiving necessary support and assistance, while arrangements are being made to reunite them with their families. The suspects remain in custody and are actively assisting investigators in unraveling the full extent of the network.”
