By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
ASABA – A 19-year-old girl who was lured to Ivory Coast under the pretence of prostitution returned to Nigeria to discover that traffickers had surgically removed her womb without her knowledge or consent, Delta State Police Commissioner CP Yemi Oyeniyi has revealed.
The harrowing disclosure came during a first-quarter press briefing in Asaba, where the Commissioner detailed what he called one of the most disturbing cases handled by the command in recent months.
According to police, the teenager’s ordeal began in September 2025, when she and two friends were introduced to a woman named Blessing Mongo, 47. Mongo then connected them to another woman, Esther, 32, who subsequently handed them over to a third suspect, Onome, 36. The destination was Ivory Coast. The stated purpose was prostitution.
But what awaited the young woman was far darker.
“Days after her arrival in Ivory Coast, the victim stated that she was injected with an unknown substance and rushed to hospital,” CP Oyeniyi told journalists. “By the time she woke up, she noticed that her stomach was bandaged.”
The traffickers eventually flew her back to Nigeria and abandoned her in Lagos. She found her way home to Delta State on her own.
It was only when she arrived at her mother’s home in Ekpan community, Uvwie, on 3rd April 2026, that the full horror began to emerge.
Her mother – who lives separately from the girl’s father in Okpaka – immediately noticed her daughter looked unwell. When she pressed for answers, the teenager recounted the chilling chain of exploitation. A formal report was lodged with police that same day.
Medical examination later confirmed the unthinkable: the 19-year-old’s womb had been surgically removed without her consent.
Police have since arrested Blessing Mongo and Esther. The third suspect, Onome, 36, remains at large, and a manhunt is underway.
The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further inquiry.
“The two key suspects are presently in custody,” the Commissioner confirmed.
CP Oyeniyi did not disclose whether the teenager’s two friends, who travelled with her to Ivory Coast, have been accounted for or whether they suffered similar fates. Investigations are ongoing.
The command has urged anyone with information on the whereabouts of Onome to come forward, and appealed to the public to remain vigilant against trafficking rings posing as legitimate employment or travel agents.
No further details about the victim’s current medical condition have been released.
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