KATSINA – The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), said it had arrested a human trafficking kingpin, Muntari Hamidu, 30, and five victims in Katsina state.
The State Comptroller of NIS, Mr Emmanuel Ogbumuo, who disclosed this at a news conference on Wednesday in Katsina, said the suspect had been on the watch list for a long time.
Ogbumuo said the suspect was arrested in Maimujiya, a border town with Niger Republic, by a combined Immigration Border Patrol Team and the Nigerien police on Monday.
The comptroller said suspect was arrested together with five victims, three females and two males, aged between 20 and 25 years.
According to him, the five victims have identified Hamidu as their trafficker.
He said the suspect was said to be gang leader behind human trafficking through irregular route in Kongolam to Agadez in Niger Republic, then to Libya and finally to Europe.
[eap_ad_1]
Ogbumuo added that the suspected trafficker and his victims would be handed over to NAPTIP for necessary action.
He also said the command had so far arrested 37 people for human trafficking related offences in the state between January and June.
He said the suspects were apprehended through intelligence gathering on traffickers coupled with synergy and effective communication between the NIS and other security agencies in the two countries.
Ogbumuo reiterated the determination of the command to effectively curtail influx of illegal immigrants, human traffickers and their victims.
He, therefore, solicited the continued cooperation of sister security agencies in the two countries and the border communities to achieve the desired goal. (NAN)
[eap_ad_4]
