Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested a 26 year old woman, Ese Betty Isiorho, over her alleged involvement in trafficking young women to Côte d’Ivoire under the guise of offering them vocational training.
The arrest followed a petition alleging that the suspect lured a 25 year old woman with the promise of learning hairdressing in the West African country before allegedly forcing her into prostitution.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, stating that operatives of the Effurun Area Command carried out the arrest after investigating the complaint.
According to the police, investigations revealed that after the victim arrived in Côte d’Ivoire, she was handed over for commercial sexual exploitation instead of the promised vocational training.
Edafe said the suspect confessed during interrogation to trafficking the rescued victim alongside another woman, also in her twenties, to Côte d’Ivoire, where they were allegedly delivered to a woman identified simply as Madam Purity for prostitution.
He added that sustained investigative efforts and collaboration with relevant partners led to the successful rescue and return of the 25 year old victim to Nigeria.
The rescued woman has since been reunited with her family and is currently receiving medical attention, while efforts are ongoing to rescue the second victim, who is believed to still be in Côte d’Ivoire, and apprehend other members of the trafficking network.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Delta State, Yemi Oyeniyi, commended the officers involved in the operation and reiterated the command’s commitment to tackling human trafficking and other organised crimes.
He assured residents that the police would continue to intensify efforts to dismantle trafficking syndicates and bring those responsible to justice.
Oyeniyi also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious recruitment schemes and other trafficking related activities to security agencies.
The latest arrest comes shortly after the Delta State Government, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and development partners renewed their commitment to combating human trafficking during activities marking the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Stakeholders at the event warned that traffickers were increasingly using fake job offers, vocational training opportunities and other deceptive promises to lure vulnerable young people into exploitation, while calling for stronger collaboration to curb the crime.