The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has rescued 24 victims of human trafficking and arrested three suspects in Badagry, Lagos State. This operation comes less than three months after a similar rescue in Ilado-Ogudu, Olorunda Local Council Development Area.
Details of the Rescue Operation
On Thursday, June 4, 2026, NSCDC operatives led by Divisional Officer CSC Gbenga Ekunola raided several locations, including a bungalow in Itoga, Badagry. The victims comprised 16 males, seven females, and one toddler. Among them were two pregnant women and a one-and-a-half-year-old girl. The women became pregnant while in captivity.
The three suspects arrested are Medard Idowu from the Benin Republic, Agbo Ledia from Togo, and Shelian Wensu from the Benin Republic. Two other suspects remain at large.
Modus Operandi of the Traffickers
According to NSCDC spokesperson Oluwaseun Abolurin, the suspects forced victims to consume substances injected into food, causing memory loss. Victims were unable to remember their origins. Three victims last saw their families three years, nine months, and six months ago, respectively.
The traffickers also forced victims to call family members, falsely claiming to be accident or kidnapping victims to extort money. Many families sought help from churches, mosques, and traditionalists without success.
Appeal for Information
Abolurin appealed to anyone searching for missing loved ones to come forward with details. The NSCDC will profile victims to determine if they match missing persons reports. He emphasized that the suspects are foreign nationals who introduced practices inimical to Nigerian culture.
Shelian Wensu, speaking on his entry into Nigeria, admitted he had no travel documents and stayed with a friend in Ibereko. He claimed to work in network marketing and did not know the owner of the building where they were housed.
