Ondo Police Arrest Suspected Human Traffickers, Rescue 14 Victims

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

Several suspected human traffickers have been arrested by operatives of Ondo State Police Command in separate operations across the state, during which no fewer than 14 victims were rescued.

Police sources disclosed that a Togolese national, Meale Yaoili, on Thursday reported at the Yaba Police Station in Ondo town that he had escaped from the custody of a human trafficking syndicate operating within Nigeria.

According to the victim, he was lured from the Republic of Togo to Nigeria under the pretext of securing employment in Canada.

He stated that he had known one Tchodia Potolaw Fidel, now at large, since 2019. Fidel allegedly claimed to be residing in Canada and persuaded him to travel to Nigeria, insisting that there was no Canadian Embassy in Togo.

Yaoili alleged that upon arrival in Nigeria, his personal belongings were forcibly seized and he was held against his will after paying 800,000 CFA francs.

Following a swift response by operatives of the Command, six suspects were arrested in connection with the case.

They were identified as Cleude Grao, Samuel Dsiwa, Michael Amissa, Olayiwola Kazeem, Akinubi Adebayo, and Oluwole Vincent, the landlord of the premises where the illegal operation was allegedly carried out.

During the operation, three victims were rescued.

In a related development, on 23 January 2026, a case initially reported as suspected banditry was lodged by Chief Ojomu of Oba-Ile at the Oba-Ile Divisional Police Headquarters against Umaru Baba and eleven others. The matter was subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation.
Preliminary findings revealed that the suspects were not bandits, as earlier alleged, but illegal immigrants from the Republic of Chad residing in a duplex apartment around the OSOPADEC area of Akure.

Further investigations indicated that Umaru Baba is allegedly at the centre of trans-border criminal activities, including recruitment, human trafficking,
modern-day slavery and other related offences.
Police investigations revealed that the principal suspect allegedly operated as a representative of a company involved in online marketing of various products. He was said to have lured, recruited and harboured eleven able-bodied men and one female, all suspected to be illegal migrants, under the guise of engaging them as commission-based marketers.

The victims were identified as:
Husein Abdullahi (26), Hassan Yaya (23), Umaru Samida (19), Umaru Buba (24), Mohammed Almat (24), Saleh Abduraman (23), Musa Mohammed (22), Mohammed Watala (20), Ali Mohammad (26), Hassan Hussein (24), and Yusuf Yakubu (23).
Investigations confirmed that the eleven individuals are Chadian nationals who were illegally transported into Nigeria en route to the Cameroon border.

The suspects are currently in police custody, while the identified foreign nationals are being treated as victims of human trafficking. Police also revealed that the female landlord of the apartment, said to be resident in Ibadan, is being traced for questioning over alleged negligence in allowing her property to be used for criminal activities.

Police sources added that the suspects in both cases have made useful statements detailing their respective roles, while investigations are ongoing to apprehend fleeing suspects.

The rescued victims are to be handed over to their respective embassies for necessary diplomatic action and repatriation.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police reiterated earlier warnings to landlords and property owners to conduct proper background checks on prospective tenants and remain vigilant to prevent their premises from being used for criminal activities, stressing that negligence would attract legal consequences.

The Commissioner further assured residents of the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating human trafficking, trans-border crimes and all forms of criminality, while urging members of the public to continue providing credible and actionable information to support policing efforts across the state.