The Nigeria Police Force says it has arrested two suspected internationally wanted fugitives over human trafficking and armed robbery.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
Adejobi said that one of the suspects was a ringleader of a human trafficking syndicate wanted by Belgian authorities while the second was a key member of a Dubai-based armed robbery gang.
He added that the first suspect was the alleged mastermind of a large-scale human trafficking operation and had been declared wanted by the Belgian authorities through an INTERPOL Red Notice.
He disclosed that the notice was issued on Dec. 19, 2023, adding that the suspect was arrested in Benin, the Edo capital, following diligent intelligence and enforcement efforts by police operatives.
The force PRO also said that the suspect was accused of trafficking young Nigerian women, including minors to Italy and subsequently dispersing them across Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
He added that the victims were subjected to voodoo-based oaths and psychological coercion, with fabricated debts ranging from £20,000 to £50,000 used to manipulate and control them.
According to him, the criminal network of the suspect involved handlers in Brussels and France who managed the victims’ activities and remit proceeds to him.
”Following a conviction in absentia in Belgium in 2021 for multiple counts of aggravated human trafficking and criminal organisation leadership, the suspect fled to Nigeria.
”Upon his arrest, a search of his premises revealed incriminating materials, including a photocopy of a passport intended for a planned relocation to Canada.”
The police spokesman said the suspect has been scheduled to be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Benin.
Adejobi said the second suspect was arrested by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja at a hideout in Nsukka, Enugu State.
He said that the suspect was wanted by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for series of serious crimes including armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, and other organised criminal activities.
He explained that intelligence had revealed that the suspect had continued to coordinate criminal operations remotely from Nigeria.
The force image maker disclosed that the suspect had been directly linked to several high-profile robberies in Dubai and Sharjah, including an armed robbery at a grocery store in Dubai Mall.
”The arrest is the result of strategic intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Dubai Police,” he said.
Adejobi said the suspect would soon be arraigned in court.
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