The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has arrested a woman, Blessing Iniedem, for allegedly forcing a 16-year-old girl into prostitution in Rivers State.
The minor, who was on holiday, was taken to a brothel at the Mile Three axis of Port Harcourt, the state capital, and sexually abused.
The state commander of NAPTIP, Amaka Ikediashi, said Iniedem, who reportedly owned the brothel brought the teenager from Akwa Ibom State under the guise of taking her on holiday.
She said, “The victim in question is a 16-year-old. She was brought from Oron, Akwa Ibom State, to Rivers State, for forced prostitution by a certain Miss Blessing Iniedem, aka Patience, at a brothel.
“The suspect, Blessing Iniedem, told her that she was taking her on holiday and on getting to Rivers State, she was forced into prostitution.
“When we were notified, alongside our major stakeholders, we arrested the suspect, and rescued the victim.”
Asked what the agency would do with the suspect, Ikediashi said, “Definitely, NAPTIP is going to prosecute her because it is a case of forced sexual exploitation.”
The Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers, Rivers State, Adata Bio-Briggs, said the teenager was first taken to a brothel in Gbundu, a popular waterfront in Port Harcourt, but was rejected because she was “too small”.
“They now took her to a brothel in Mile Three and they accepted her there. The victim told me that they put her in a house and gave her a lady as her madam. This lady collected N500 from the men that slept with her and it’s been going on for a while,” she added.
