The case against Ahmed Yahaya, Mr Ibrahim Isah, the state Internal Auditor and Mr Habibu Abdullahi, the Special Assistant to the Finance Director was referred to NAPTIP by the National Human Rights Commission, Sokoto State Office.

NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Mr Adekoye Vincent said the 12-year-old (name withheld) who sold pure water within the jurisdiction of the offices of the suspects, only came to them for financial assistance some time in May 2019. According to Vincent, they however took advantage of the little girl right inside their offices, one after the other.

Adekoye said “It would be recalled that operatives of NAPTIP arrested the three suspects namely Yahaya, 45, who is the Director of Finance, Ibrahim Isah 46, who is the Sokoto State Internal Auditor, and Habibu Abdullahi 40, who is the Special Assistant to the Director of Finance, about three weeks ago, for the alleged offence. The case was referred to the Agency by the National Human Rights Commission, Sokoto State Office after which the Agency swooped on the suspects.”

The suspects identified as Okokon Essien Bassey and Ofonime Essien Bassey were arrested on Tuesday Fenbruary 18, after approaching one Emmanuel Monday and his pregnant wife to buy their unborn baby for N500,000.

The couple who were advised to play along by NAPTIP officials after filing a complaint, requested for N10,000 from the suspects as a form of commitment and a sign of seriousness.

A statement reads in parts “The Uyo Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has apprehended two suspects for human trafficking in an early hour operation this morning, the two suspects, namely Okokon Essien Bassey, ‘M’, 33 years old and Ofonime Essien Bassey, ‘F’, 40 years old were apprehended. The suspects had on several occasions approached one Emmanuel Monday and his wife who is a mother of two kids and presently pregnant and requested for the purchase of the unborn baby for the sum of five hundred thousand naira (N500,000). On receiving the intelligence, NAPTIP operatives requested the victims to play along with the suspects. In the course of several meetings, the victims demanded the sum of N10,000 from the suspects to show their seriousness in what they were being asked to do. Upon the payment of the N10,000 to the victims the pregnant woman, along with their two kids were handed over to the suspects.”

The arraignment of the suspects was a fallout of the investigation into the much publicized case of Omolola Ajayi, who was trafficked to Lebanon.

The suspects, Mohammed Wafic Hamze, Adetunji Taofeek Sanusi and Tunde Awwal,  were slammed with a three- count charge which bothered on Human Trafficking/ Foreign Travel which Promotes Prostitution or other forms of Exploitation in accordance with Section 18 and 27 (a) & (b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.

The case was initially transferred to the Agency by the Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) after which the three suspect were arrested.

NAPTIP arrested the suspect, following the revelation made by Omolola Ajayi in a viral video which was shared online while she was in captivity.

The agency said in its statement “The Commander, NAPTIP Lagos, Daniel Atokolo will be on hand to speak to the facts of the case at the press conference. The conference will also feature a moderated question and answer session with the Commander and the suspected trafficker.”

The register is a means of documenting names of sexual violence culprits after they have been prosecuted and found guilty of the offence.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq, spoke at the launch in Abuja that rape of women had been a great challenge in recent times.

She said that the crime was common in the Northern part of the country, adding that it had left several women and teenagers vulnerable.

Umar-Farouq commended NAPTIP and other partners for putting up the register said it would go a long way in exposing perpetrators of the crime.

She noted that “several cases of violence, including gender-based ones, are exhibited by people and are not being reported nor investigated.

“Women and adolescents are being violated on many occasions at different places due to their helpless state and in many cases, the culprits are people known to the victims.”

In her keynote address, Leymah Roberta Gbowee, a 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate from Liberia, said that the launch of the register would mark the end of impunity against women in Nigeria.

Roberta called for the translation of the register into Nigerian local languages to ensure that the purpose for which it was initiated was achieved.

Dr Bob Arnot, Portfolio Manager of Justice for European Union, called for strong support toward adhering to the rules of the sexual offences register.

He added that the register would help in exposing perpetrators of sexual violence, most of whom were usually not brought to justice.

Ketil Kalson, Head of the EU delegation to Nigeria, called for collaborative efforts to stem the tide, as the challenges were not exclusive to Nigeria alone, NAN reports.

Kalson said “we need to understand that this is a global phenomenon that requires collaborative effort of everyone.

“This is a great step because it will go a long way to help in curbing the menace, as no one would want his name to appear in the register.”