The Lagos State Police have rescued 12 teenage girls from a sex trafficking operation in the Idumota area of Lagos Island.
The girls, aged between 13 and 15, were lured from other states with promises of real jobs. However, what waited for them in Lagos was far from what they were told. The bust happened on June 11, 2026, after one victim escaped and found help.
The breakthrough came when a Good Samaritan found the 16-year-old victim, Chinasa, from Imo State, lying in a pool of blood near Surulere. She was taken to the Bode Thomas Police Station, where she told officers everything.
Commissioner of Police Tijani Fatai explained how it unfolded:
“We busted the prostitution syndicate following a report of a girl who was brought to our station in Bode Thomas, Surulere, where she was working as a prostitute. The girl was brought in by a good samaritan who found her lying in a pool of blood, with blood gushing from her nose.”
Fatai added that Chinasa had been tricked into the life. She came believing she had a catering job. Instead, she was forced into sex work from her first day in Lagos.
Chinasa had been learning baking in Delta State when a woman approached her with what sounded like a great offer.
“The woman who brought me to Lagos told me she had secured a job for me where I would earn N100,000 monthly and asked me to come along with a friend,” Chinasa said.
Everything changed the moment she arrived. The woman told her to remove her clothes and handed her skimpy clothing to wear. When Chinasa refused to comply, things got worse.
“She gave me a drug that turns the tongue blue (Rohypnol). After taking it, I lost consciousness and later found myself taking men into the room,” she said.
Furthermore, when she told her handler she wanted to leave, she was told she had to stay for six months to repay her transport fare. She was beaten, denied food, and given little to no money despite serving many clients daily.
“I attended to men from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. She rarely gave me money for food, paying me only between N1,000 and N1,500,” Chinasa revealed.
She also disclosed that protection was rarely used. She could not speak up. If she did, her handler would beat her.
Chinasa endured four months of abuse before she finally got away. After a late-night incident led to another beating, she ran.
“I ran away and boarded a vehicle to Costain. A man noticed my condition and asked what had happened,” she said. A woman later approached her under a bridge and took her to the police.
Meanwhile, the Divisional Police Officer at Bode Thomas wasted no time. He took Chinasa straight to the hospital for treatment.
Police arrested 28-year-old Princess Andrew, accused of running the trafficking ring. She denied forcing anyone into prostitution.
“I am also a prostitute there. I knew the girl in Delta State when she was pregnant. She contacted me after returning from Ghana with another person. I never told her she was coming for a catering job; she knew she was coming for prostitution,” Princess said.
However, investigators say her story does not match the victims’ accounts. She reportedly paid N10,000 daily to the premises owner and earned up to N30,000 on good days.
The Commissioner confirmed that about 30 girls were believed to be involved in the syndicate. Only 12 are currently in protective custody. The search for the remaining girls and the hotel owner continues.
“The suspect has allegedly been operating in the area for a long time. This has been her business, but she ran out of luck because we decided to investigate the matter,” Fatai said.
Human trafficking remains a serious issue across Nigeria.
