The Delta State Police Command has rescued a 25-year-old woman allegedly trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire for prostitution and arrested a suspected human trafficker accused of luring young women abroad with false promises of vocational training.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying operatives of the Effurun Area Command arrested the suspect, Ese Betty Isiorho, 26, after receiving a petition.
According to the police, the suspect allegedly convinced the victim to travel to Côte d’Ivoire with the promise of learning hairdressing. However, investigations showed that the victim was allegedly forced into prostitution after arriving in the country.
Edafe said the suspect confessed during interrogation to trafficking the rescued victim and another woman in her twenties to Côte d’Ivoire, where they were allegedly handed over to a woman identified simply as Madam Purity for prostitution.
He said the police, through sustained investigations and collaboration with relevant partners, successfully rescued the victim and brought her back to Nigeria.
The victim has since been reunited with her family and is receiving medical treatment, while efforts are ongoing to rescue the second victim, who is believed to still be in Côte d’Ivoire, and arrest other members of the trafficking network.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Yemi Oyeniyi, commended the officers involved in the operation and pledged that the command would continue to crack down on human trafficking syndicates.
“The command remains committed to combating human trafficking and other forms of organised crime. We will continue to intensify efforts to dismantle trafficking syndicates and ensure that those involved are brought to justice,” he said.
Oyeniyi also urged residents to be cautious of suspicious overseas job and training offers and to report suspected trafficking activities to the police.
The rescue comes shortly after the Delta State Government, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and development partners renewed their commitment to tackling human trafficking during activities marking the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
At the event, stakeholders warned that traffickers were increasingly using fake job offers and vocational training opportunities to deceive and exploit vulnerable young people.
