Wednesday, April 29, 2026 - The Edo State Migration Agency has rescued three trafficked indigenes of the state from Burkina Faso.
According to Punch, the rescued victims, including a
young woman who lost her sight following severe abuse, have been repatriated to
Nigeria.
The Director-General of the agency, Lucky Agazuma, disclosed
this while briefing journalists on arrival at the Benin Airport on Tuesday,
April 27, 2026.
He described the development as both “a happy and a sad day”
in view of the victims’ ordeal.
Agazuma said the rescue operation was triggered by an alert
from Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Muhammad Danladi, who contacted the
Edo State Government over the plight of stranded indigenes.
He said the information was brought to the notice of
Governor Monday Okpebholo, who ordered immediate intervention.
“It is quite a happy and a sad day with the situation around
us. The Nigerian Ambassador to Burkina Faso reached out to the state on the
stranded Edo indigenes,” he said.
“One of the victims was deceived to Burkina Faso, and on
getting there, he was imprisoned and remained there until we secured his
release.”
He further disclosed that two young women were also
trafficked under the guise of employment opportunities but were forced into
prostitution upon arrival.
Their refusal to comply led to brutal consequences at the
hands of their traffickers.
The agency boss revealed that one of the victims was
subjected to extreme abuse, resulting in the loss of her sight, a situation
that has drawn urgent medical attention from the state government.
“Two other ladies were deceived and trafficked from Edo to
Burkina Faso with promises of jobs. On getting there, they were forced into
prostitution, and when they declined, they were beaten mercilessly and
subjected to all sorts of inhuman treatment," he said.
“The second victim was maltreated to the point where she
lost her sight before the governor quickly directed that we rescue them back to
Edo.
“As we speak, she will be taken straight to the hospital on
the governor’s directive to see what can be done about her condition."
Agazuma noted that efforts to trace the family of the
visually impaired victim, who reportedly lived in the Uselu area of Edo State
before travelling, have so far proved abortive, prompting an appeal to the
public for assistance.
“We have tried to trace her family members in Uselu but to
no avail. We are appealing to members of the public who have any information to
make it available to the agency. We are applying our rehabilitation model to
ensure full recovery and reintegration," he said.
He also disclosed that the agency had obtained intelligence
on the trafficking network prior to the mission and had already apprehended one
suspect, with investigations ongoing.
The rescued victims, identified as Precious, Peace, and
Evans, are currently receiving care.
Evans recounted that he travelled in January 2026 but was
immediately arrested and detained until his plight came to the attention of the
Edo State Government.
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