The Edo State Taskforce on Human Trafficking has arrested an alleged human trafficker, Juliet Ukhurebor.
Secretary of the Taskforce, Mrs. Pauline Irusota, who confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, July 19, 2024, said the suspect specialises in compelling her victims to take an oath before being trafficked abroad for pr0stituti0n.
Mrs Irusota said Ukhurebor and one Joy Osawe were apprehended following a petition by one Rita Godwin, 25.
She alleged that the prime suspect (Juliet Ukhurebor) in collaboration with her daughter in India, forged Ghanaian passports and other documents for the victims for the purpose of smuggling them to India.
The taskforce secretary explained that the prime suspect had already succeeded in smuggling a girl identified as Juliet Osagie to India.
Irusota stated that the prime suspect only revealed to the victims after the oath that they were heading to India for prostitution, adding that the petitioner, on learning of the development, refused to embark on the final journey to Abuja en route to India.
“Following the refusal of the petitioner to travel to India, the prime suspect and a native doctor from Enugu State began issuing threats to the petitioner that she pay $8 million, which was the money used to process her travelling documents,” Irusota stated.
“The prime suspect was arrested at her shrine, and a native pot containing concoctions was recovered as an exhibit at the request of the investigators,” she added.
42-year-old Ukhurebor said she made her victims swear an oath before travelling out of the country in order to deter them from refusing to obey instructions.
“I acted on the instructions of my India-based daughter, who requested a female nanny from Nigeria,” she said.
“My daughter asked them to take an oath because she spent money on the would-be nannies’ travel documents so that they would not get there and abscond or refuse to pay her the expenses she incurs on their documents.”