British National Crime Agency said it
had arrested three individuals in Nigeria as part of an international
operation targeting criminal networks involved in the trafficking of
human beings across Europe.
Three women were also rescued in the operation.
The NCA, according to a statement on its
website, led the operation in Lagos at Murtala Muhammad International
Airport, Lagos State, alongside officers from the United Kingdom Border
Force and Immigration Enforcement to disrupt the transit routes of
trafficking groups to the UK and other European countries.
Working in conjunction with Nigeria’s
Joint Border Task Force, the officers targeted a number of specific
flights from MMIA and several passengers were selected for screening.
“Three Nigerian women were taken into
protective custody on April 28, 2016, due to displaying human
trafficking indicators. On the same day, JBTF officers arrested a
Nigerian national on suspicion of human trafficking and two other
individuals for their alleged role in a suspected labour exploitation
case,” the statement said.
The NCA operation in Nigeria is part of
international activity coordinated through Europol, which resulted in a
total of 400 potential victims of trafficking being identified across
Europe.
The NCA’s UK Human Trafficking Centre
supplied live time intelligence support to officers in the UK and the 16
other participating European countries, “many of which focussed their
efforts on targeting areas known for prostitution.”
It noted that the joint activity was
supported by UKBF officers at London Heathrow, who carried out intensive
checks and monitored both direct and indirect flights from Nigeria.
Head of the NCA UK Human Trafficking
Centre, Martin French, said, “The NCA and its UK partners continue to
work closely with international law enforcement agencies to detect and
disrupt Nigerian crime groups who are actively involved in modern
slavery to Europe.
“By strengthening our response overseas,
we will ensure that the UK remains a hostile place to operate in for
those who wish to exploit the vulnerable.”
The Joint Border Task Force consists of
Nigerian law enforcement officers from the National Drugs Law
Enforcement Agency, the Economic Financial Crimes Commission and the
National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons
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