Three underage girls have been rescued by police in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, from forced prostitution and sexual exploitation.
This was stated in a statement released by the command’s public relations officer, Benjamin Hundeyin on Friday.
According to the statement, the teenagers simply identified as Saviour, 14; Bright, 13 and Deborah, 12 were rescued by officers of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) at the Itamaga area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
The rescued girls were allegedly locked in a hotel and starved for days by their mistress to force them to accept the job.
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Child prostitution is illegal in Nigeria. Section 222A of the Criminal Code prohibits the prostitution of girls below the age of 16.
Similarly, section 30(2)(a) of the Child Rights Act prohibits the use of a child below 18 for prostitution.
The police statement reads: “Officers of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) have rescued three teenagers from prostitution at the Itamaga area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
“The girls were rescued on January 8, 2023, at about 0600hrs when a patrol team noticed their suspicious movements within the area. Upon questioning, the girls revealed that they were fleeing the custody of a mistress who brought them from Akwa Ibom to Lagos under the guise of employment.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the victims, Saviour aged 14, Bright aged 13 and Deborah aged 12 (surnames withheld) upon reaching Lagos were locked by their mistress (still at large) in a hotel and starved for days as a means to force them into accepting prostitution. Contact has been established with the victims’ families.
“The Commander RRS, CSP Saheed Olayinka Egbeyemi, has in line with the directive of the commissioner of police Lagos state, CP Abiodun Alabi, transferred the victims to the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Command for further investigation.”
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