Delta Police Bust Human Trafficking Ring, Rescue Victim From Côte d’Ivoire

​ASABA — Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have dismantled a trans-national human trafficking syndicate with the arrest of a 26-year-old female suspect and the successful rescue of a 25-year-old victim from Côte d’Ivoire.

​The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the breakthrough in an official statement released on Sunday, detailing how the suspect lured unsuspecting young women abroad under the false pretext of empowerment.

​According to police findings, the prime suspect, identified as Ese Betty Isiorho, allegedly approached the victim with promises of securing a legitimate vocational training opportunity in hairdressing overseas. However, the promise quickly unraveled into a nightmare upon the victim’s arrival in West Africa’s economic hub.

​Investigators revealed that the victim was immediately stripped of her freedom and forced into commercial sex work upon reaching Côte d’Ivoire. During interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed to trafficking both the rescued survivor and another woman in her twenties, handing them over to a syndicate kingpin operating abroad known simply as “Madam Purity.”

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​The swift operation was triggered by a formal petition filed by concerned parties, prompting the Effurun Area Command to launch an intelligence-led manhunt that culminated in Isiorho’s arrest.

​Police authorities confirmed that the primary victim has since been repatriated to Nigeria, reunited with her grieving family, and provided with necessary medical evaluations and psychological support.

​Meanwhile, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, has lauded the tactical acumen of the officers involved in the rescue mission. Reassuring residents of the command’s iron-clad resolve, CP Oyeniyi vowed that law enforcement agencies would deploy all necessary assets to dismantle the remaining network, rescue the second trapped victim, and bring every collaborator to justice.