By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
NO fewer than 50 underage commercial sex workers have been rescued by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Rivers State.
They were rescued at the weekend during NAPTIP’s raid with the help of some security agencies on three brothels at Azikiwe Street Mile, Diobu, Port Harcourt.
Some of the security agencies which took part in the operation included the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The operation, which lasted for more than one hour, saw officers arresting the underaged girls and their ‘madams’ who use them for commercial sex work.
Stonix News gathered that more than 10 buses were used to convey the underaged girls.
It was further gathered that in the last two months, a similar raid was also conducted during which some underaged girls were also arrested.
When contacted the commander of NAPTIP in Rivers state, Ikediashi Nwakama, who confirmed the incident, reported that the investigation was ongoing and would be made public.
However, on Sunday, the Nigerian Navy, in collaboration with NSCDC and NAPTIP paraded the rescued 50 prostitutes and the three arrested sex trafficking suspects.
Base Information Officer, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Richard Iginla, said the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Nigeria Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
According to him, the 50 prostitutes, mainly teenage girls, were rescued in the early hours of Saturday after a tip-off from NAPTIP.
“We got the intelligence from NAPTIP, who had been tracking the brothels that camped juveniles with some of them as young as 14 years of age.
“So, after NAPTIP shared intelligence with us, a joint team was set up and we immediately went into action to rescue the victims.
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