Emotional scenes unfolded at the Lagos State Police Command on Monday, June 15, 2026, as a 16-year-old girl detailed her harrowing four-month ordeal after being allegedly trafficked from Imo State to Lagos and forced into a highly organised prostitution ring.
The breakthrough came after a coordinated raid by law enforcement, resulting in the rescue of 13 underage girls and the arrest of two key suspects.
Lured with promises of an office job
The victim, a Delta State native named Chidinma, revealed that she was working as a catering apprentice in Imo State when a trusted acquaintance lured her to Lagos under the pretence of securing a formal office job.
Upon arrival at a multi-story building within the bustling Balogun Market on Lagos Island, the reality of her situation became clear.
Chidinma recounted that her handler stripped her of her clothes and forced her, alongside several other young girls, to stand at a doorway to attract clients.
Forced drugging and daily abuse
According to the teenager’s testimony, the victims were routinely administered an unknown blue drug that left them disoriented and compliant.
Chidinma stated she was forced to sleep with a minimum of 30 men daily, with the number sometimes spiking to 60 clients in a single day.
While clients paid between N5,000 and N10,000 per session, the money went entirely to the syndicate. The victim was only given N1,000 to N1,500 daily for basic food.
Violence against teenage girls
The teenager alleged that whenever she insisted on protection, clients would report her to the handler. She was routinely beaten with iron rods, punched in the abdomen—despite a pre-existing medical surgery—and suffered a severe eye injury that blinded her for a week.
The escape and subsequent police raid
Chidinma managed to escape the facility following a violent assault where her head was slammed against a wall. She fled the location on foot, moving from Costain to Surulere, where a sympathetic popcorn vendor assisted her in reaching the Bode Thomas Police Station.
Recognising the severity of her injuries, the Divisional Police Officer immediately transferred her to a medical facility for treatment.
Following her statement, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police personally led a raid on the Balogun Market facility, accompanied by media personnel.
The CP confirmed that the cartel specifically targets vulnerable minors between 13 and 15 years old, seizing their mobile phones to cut off contact with the outside world.
“While investigations indicate the cartel has trafficked about 30 girls in total, operatives have successfully arrested two suspects and rescued 13 underage girls,” the Commissioner of Police stated during the press briefing.
Suspect denies human trafficking charges
One of the primary suspects, identified as 28-year-old Princess Andrew, has denied the human trafficking allegations.
Also hailing from Delta State, Andrew admitted to knowing the victim but claimed that Chidinma was an independent adult worker who lied about her age.
Andrew insisted she was merely assisting the girl with accommodation and asserted that the victim would be turning 21 this year.
The Lagos State Police Command’s State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) is currently expanding its investigation to track down other fleeing members of the trafficking syndicate.
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