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| A police vehicle beside a road in Abuja on 11 November 2019. File photograph. Credit: Kritzolina / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. |
Police have rescued a 21-year-old Nigerian woman from an alleged trafficking network in Mali and arrested three men suspected of arranging her journey through promises of employment abroad.
The woman’s account has also prompted enquiries into the reported detention of about 42 other Nigerian women at a remote gold-mining settlement in Mali. Police said she told investigators that members of the network restricted the women’s movements and subjected them to sexual exploitation.
According to the Arise News report, the rescued woman travelled from Akwanga in Nasarawa State after accepting what she understood to be an offer of paid work. Police allege that the arrangement instead placed her in the custody of people who compelled her into prostitution.
Prime 9ja Online reports that the Force Intelligence Department’s Special Tactical Squad investigated the case during operations conducted between 1 and 27 October 2026. Assistant Commissioner of Police Victor Ogbiede Godfrey disclosed the details at a briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, 3 November.
Police identified the suspects as Orgba Solomon, 28, also known as Terry; Daniel Aondofa, 26; and Thankgod Ocho, 25. The force described Solomon, who resides in the Republic of Benin, as the alleged leader of the network and said all three men came from Benue State.
A complaint from the woman’s sister triggered the investigation. Officers subsequently used digital intelligence to identify people allegedly involved in recruiting and transporting women across Nigeria’s borders.
Investigators said Solomon returned to Nigeria on 18 October to recruit more women for journeys to Senegal and Mali. Police arrested him and the two other suspects, whose information, according to the force, helped officers secure the 21-year-old’s return.
The operation also led to the rescue of three other women, whom police said they reunited with their families. Investigators continue to pursue other people allegedly connected to the network.
Giving an account of the principal victim’s journey, police said Solomon recruited her on 26 September with an offer of employment outside Nigeria. She travelled through Lagos before crossing into the Republic of Benin through an unauthorised border route.
From there, members of the alleged network moved her to an artisanal gold-mining settlement in Mali. Police said the people controlling the settlement forced female trafficking victims into prostitution.
Investigators also accused Solomon of taking the woman’s mobile phone and travel documents before her departure, preventing her from maintaining contact with her family.
Police put the alleged sale price at 420,000 CFA francs, which they valued at approximately ₦770,000. They said members of the network handed her over to other people after her arrival in Mali.
According to the police account, she resisted demands to engage in prostitution and suffered severe beatings. Investigators further alleged that those holding her took her to a shrine and compelled her to undergo a blood oath before subjecting her to sexual exploitation.
Following her rescue, officers took the woman to a police clinic for medical assessment, The Sun reported.
Solomon, speaking in the Arise News report, acknowledged helping a contact recruit Nigerian women to travel to Mali. However, he maintained that he had understood the employment offer for the rescued woman to involve waitressing.
“I was having financial issues in my business and I contacted a friend, his name is Muhammad, to lend me some money so I could finish the project I was running.”
He said Muhammad lived in the Republic of Benin and operated a bar in Mali. According to his account, Muhammad asked him to find Nigerian women willing to travel there in exchange for the financial assistance he sought.
Solomon acknowledged that he knew the proposed arrangement involved prostitution for some recruits, but claimed that Muhammad had described a different role for the 21-year-old.
“He told me she was going there to work as a waitress and that was exactly what I told her and told her family.”
He said he learnt of her circumstances later and assisted police in bringing her back to Nigeria. Police, meanwhile, said the suspects provided information about the alleged trafficking operation during questioning.
The force said the rescued woman’s disclosure about the other women in Mali remained part of its investigation. According to the account she gave officers, restrictions at the makeshift camp made escape difficult. Police said efforts continued to locate additional victims and apprehend other members of the alleged network.
The Arise News report also covered separate police operations against suspected vehicle thieves. An officer said investigators recovered eight vehicles after using digital intelligence to trace communications and identify connections within the alleged theft network.
In another case, police announced the arrest of three men suspected of supplying weapons and logistical support to bandits operating around the Funtua area of Katsina State.
The force identified them as Musa Lawal, 30, and Bello Abubakar, 25, both from Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State, and Abubakar Mohammed, 24, from Damaturu in Yobe State.
Officers said the arrests, which took place on 1 October, led to the recovery of three locally fabricated AK-47 rifles, a locally fabricated pistol and eight rounds of ammunition.
Police said investigators were pursuing other people allegedly involved in the arms-supply operation and seeking additional weapons, according to Nigerian Tribune’s account of the briefing.