24 Nigerian Girls Rescued from Sexual Exploitation in Senegal
In a coordinated overnight operation, officials from the Nigerian Embassy and a Senegalese-based NGO have rescued 24 Nigerian girls subjected to sexual exploitation in the Tambacounda and Kédougou regions of Senegal, Excel Magazine International has gathered.
Dr. Salihu Abubakar, Acting Ambassador of the Nigerian Embassy in Dakar, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dakar on Sunday.
According to Abubakar, the girls, mostly underaged and ranging between 11 and 24 years old, were trafficked to Senegal through Cotonou, Republic of Benin, and Mali. The purpose was to exploit them sexually in the Tambacounda and Kédougou regions.
“These girls and many more are being trafficked to Senegal, through Cotonou, Benin Republic via Mali to the Senegal border for prostitution,” Abubakar stated.
Preliminary investigations revealed that most of the girls, who were school dropouts, hailed from Edo and Delta states, with a few from Imo and Abia, and two others from Plateau.
Abubakar noted that of the 24 girls rescued, 22 were repatriated weeks ago. The remaining two were repatriated on Saturday and have safely landed in Nigeria.
The diplomat could not immediately provide details about the victims’ health status or the duration of their exploitation in Senegal.
He emphasized that the successful repatriation of the girls to Nigeria demonstrates strengthened international cooperation in combating human trafficking between the Nigerian embassy and the Senegalese-based NGO, “Free the Slaves” (La Lumière in French).
“Our main goal and number one priority is to discourage the trafficking of our Nigerian girls to any part of the world for prostitution under any disguise,” Abubakar affirmed.
