A secondary school teacher, Ikechukwu Uduma, and his accomplice, Enyiazu Godswill, have been arrested by officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abia State, for attempting to traffick two female students, the PUNCH Metro reports.
The state NSCDC Commandant, Paul Igwebuike, while briefing the press, said the suspects were apprehended around 12.20am on Thursday.
Parading the men before journalists in Umuahia on Friday, Igwebuike said, “We got actionable intelligence that one of the suspects, Ikechukwu Uduma (33), who is a Mathematics teacher attached to Christ Firm International School, Ubaha, Umunna Nsulu, in Isialangwa North LGA, Abia State, had concluded plans to traffick two underage girls (students of the above school) to Lagos State. I quickly mobilised my men, who trailed and later apprehended them at the Unique Life Hotel, Umuahia, and rescued the two victims.”
According to him, preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects planned moving the victims to Lagos immediately after their last exam paper on Wednesday, June 21, 2023.
It was further revealed that the teacher had previously trafficked other young school leavers through the help of Godswill and his sister (Ikechukwu’s), Cherish, who was said to be working in a manufacturing company in Ogun State.
The Abia NSCDC boss frowned on the attempts by the syndicate to promote what he described as “modern-day slavery” and vowed to collaborate with relevant agencies of government to put them out of business.
Items recovered from the suspects included a white Nissan Primera (Toyota Previa) and travelling bags containing the personal effects of the girls.
The two students, while fielding questions from journalists, said the suspects told them that they were going to Lagos to work.
Also speaking, the two men said they were taking the girls to Lagos for jobs.
