National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested a notorious human trafficker and rescued three victims from his residence in Benin.

Its Head, Press and Public Relations, Josiah Emerole said the 33-year-old man, Monday Ugbo, was nabbed after several weeks of surveillance by the operatives of the agency.

Emerole said the NAPTIP Benin Zonal Command arrested the suspected human trafficker at his residence located at number 72 Osayande St., Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City, Edo.

According to him, the preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is also preparing to take the three girls to a River that morning for oath taking before they could embark on the journey to Europe.

He said Ugbo claimed to be a bricklayer and has been in the business of human trafficking for a long time operating with another woman now at large.

The spokesperson said the suspect was in the agency’s custody giving useful statements.

Emerole quoted NAPTIP’s Director-General, Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, while reacting on the breakthrough commended the operatives, assuring that there is no hiding place for human traffickers anymore in Nigeria.

Okah-Donli noted that the agency and its partners had resolved to collaborate more appropriately in stopping further trafficking of Nigerians both within and outside the country.

Meanwhile, the NAPTIP spokesman has said the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had handed over 21 rescued victims of human trafficking to NAPTIP.

He said the age range of the victims was between 18 and 34 years, while one suspected trafficker was also handed over.

According to him, 12 of the victims comprising five males and seven females were handed over to the Kano Zonal Command of the agency by the NIS after they were intercepted at Babamutum border area of Katsina State by the NIS border patrol.

Emerole said the victims were being moved outside the country as at the time they were rescued.

He stated that another nine, all females, were handed over to the NAPTIP headquarters in Abuja by the NIS headquarters while attempting to procure International passports to travel out.

The spokesman added that all the victims were presently with the agency for profiling and counseling.