The Ondo State Police Command says it has arrested three suspected human traffickers and rescued their victims during a sting operation in Akure.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying the feat followed actionable intelligence and sustained surveillance.
According to the statement, the principal suspect, a 30-year-old Togolese national identified as John Apiah, relocated to Oda town in June 2024 posing as a hairstylist.
He was said to have teamed up with two young women, 22-year-old Blessings Assiah and 21-year-old Laro Larisa, to lure unsuspecting residents with promises of foreign passports and United States visas.
Police investigations showed the suspects collected various sums of money running into more than one million CFA from their victims, identified as Charity Paketerima, 27; Mohammed Assiah, 25; and 35-year-old Kanate Dekadja.
The victims were initially lodged in a hotel before being moved into a one-room apartment rented in Oda, where they were allegedly kept in suspicious conditions until police officers stormed the location and rescued them.
The Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, warned landlords against leasing properties without background checks, insisting that owners whose premises are linked with crime risk prosecution.
Lawal attributed the successful operation to recent reforms introduced by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and assured residents that the command remains committed to tackling human trafficking and other cross-border crimes.
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly.