The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), says it has arrested a senior official of a travel agency in Edo for suspected human trafficking offence.

The Zonal Commander of the agency in charge of Edo and Delta, Mr Nduka Nwanwenne, disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Thursday.

He said the suspect was arrested at Oku community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo on Tuesday.

Nwanwenne said that the suspect, who had been in the searchlight of the command, had obtained various sums of money from 21 victims, comprising males and females with a promise to take them to Europe.

He said the amounts collected from the people ranged from N150, 000 to N800, 000, and that the suspect told the victims of his ploy that he would take them to France to watch the just-concluded Women FIFA World Cup.

The commander also said that the suspect, who was also a native doctor, usually ensured that the victims went through various rituals in his residence as part of the preparation for the foreign trip.

He said that investigations also revealed that the suspect usually raped his female victims.

He disclosed that six shrines – Ogun Izide (god of iron), Erigho Ogebor (father of wealth) and
Ekpen Udo (Lion), Iyemor no Gebor (mother of wealth), Orunmila (ifa) and Osisihime (goddess of river), were found in his premises.

Nwanwenne added that other items recovered in the home of the suspect included, “bras and pants belonging to victims, female clothes, red, white and black clothes, usually tied by victims for oath-taking and ATM cards.

He, however, said that investigation was ongoing on the matter, while effort was being made to apprehend other associates of the suspect before prosecuting him.