On interrogation, the ladies who were booked on Egypt Air, confessed that their sponsors actually advised them to use Nigeria as a transit point first to Kuwait, before proceeding to Europe.
Eight Ghanaian ladies have been intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempted human trafficking.
Some of the Ghanaians, who were identified as Tordro Gifty (22), Odurowaa Millicent (20), Abotsi Gift (24) and Bisuat Fustina (25), had wanted to use Nigeria as a transit point to Kuwait before eventually landing in Europe for prostitution.
However, Immigration officials became suspicious of the ladies, whose ages ranged between 20 and 25, when they approached them for processing at the airport on Monday.
On interrogation, the ladies who were booked on Egypt Air, confessed that their sponsors actually advised them to use Nigeria as a transit point first to Kuwait, before proceeding to Europe.
They also confessed that they entered Nigeria by road via Togo and Benin Republic.
A source at the command confided in our correspondent that immediately they were arrested, the ladies were handed over to officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP), who took them out of the airport for possible interrogation.
The source said: “When our officers interrogated the ladies, they discovered that they had no genuine reasons for attempting to use Nigeria as a transit point to Europe. So, this led to further query from our officers. They eventually confessed that they were actually crossing to Europe, but had hoped to land in Kuwait first.
“During interrogation, it was discovered that the ladies in question actually entered Nigeria through road from Ghana to Togo and then to Benin Republic. But, the fact is that since the current Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. Muhammed Babandede came on board, he has increased vigilance at not just the Lagos Airport, but at other border posts across the country.
“This is not the first time we are arresting human traffickers at this airport and we will continue to increase our surveillance to ensure that unscrupulous elements don’t use our command to perpetuate their criminal activities.”
However, as at the time of filing this report, it was not clear if the apprehended ladies had been deported to Ghana for further prosecution or were still in the country.
In June, 10 youths who attempted to use the Lagos Airport for trafficking to Moscow, Russia, for the World Cup tournament were arrested.
The victims had tried to board a Turkish Airline flight to Russia, when they were intercepted by operatives at the airport.
The victims comprised nine girls and one boy; five of them were said to be from Edo State, three from Delta State, one from Imo State and the last victim from Benue State.