Delta rising child trafficking raises concerns as mother sells 15-year-old daughter

MATTHEW OCHEI examines the scourge of human trafficking in Delta State, highlighting the case of 15-year-old Emmanuella Monday, who was sold to a trafficker by her mother, which has dragged significant attention to the state’s rising cases of human and child trafficking

In recent times, the rate of human trafficking in Delta State has been alarming, and to curb this menace, the Delta State House of Assembly passed the Human Trafficking Prohibition Bill 2024 to end the scourge of human trafficking in the state.

Available statistics show that Delta State has overtaken Edo State in human trafficking, thus giving the state a bad image.

According to our findings, the trend has degenerated to the extent where parents involve their daughters in human and sex trafficking within and outside Nigeria in a bid to earn a living.
This trend recently came to the fore following the widely publicised case of 15-year-old Emmanuella Monday, who was allegedly sold to a sex trafficker in Warri by her mother, Mrs Eunice Asuelie.

The case, which was first reported by The PUNCH, is currently undergoing investigation in the Anti-Trafficking Department of the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Delta State Police Command in Asaba, the state capital.

The alleged trafficking of Emmanuella by her mother occurred on October 13 at the Beeland Hotel in Udu Local Government Area of the state, where she allegedly took the girl, with all her belongings, to a man who lodged in the hotel.
According to reports, she allegedly sold Emmanuella to the suspected sex trafficker, who is currently at large. According to reports, the hapless girl escaped from the trafficker and the hotel by providence.

She told The PUNCH that she escaped when the man went to the toilet to take his bath, after waiting in vain for her mother, who had told her she was coming.

While the mother Asuelie is currently in a cell at the Delta SCID, the teenager, who is a Senior Secondary School 2 student, is under the custody of Mrs. Magareth Oghuvwu, the proprietress of her school, Triumphal Model School in Effurun for care.

After she escaped, Emmanuella said she trekked to her classmate’s home in Effurun, where she sought refuge and spent the night before going to her school the following day. In tears, she narrated her ordeal to her teachers and her proprietress, who reported the incident to the police.

This case highlights the ongoing issue of human trafficking and exploitation in Nigeria, with many victims lured into exploitation through false promises of employment or better lives.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. There have been several reported cases of human trafficking and child prostitution in Delta State. Emmanuella’s story is a heartbreaking reminder of the need for increased protection and support for vulnerable individuals, particularly the girl-child and children in general.

A human rights activist and advocate against child trafficking in Delta State, Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho, who opened Emmanuella’s plight to the world and has not relented in ensuring justice for the hapless girl, in a chat with The PUNCH, lamented the rising cases of human trafficking in the state.
Aghogho accused Asuelie of selling her daughter to a suspected sex trafficker at Beeland Hotel.

He said, “The victim escaped when the trafficker went to the bathroom, and she had identified room 208 with a brown door as the location where the incident occurred.

“When the police from the SCID, Asaba visited the hotel in the course of their investigation, the hotel manager claimed that the CCTV footage had been deleted due to storage space issues, a claim that violates sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of the Delta State Occupational Public Safety Law 2020.

“We have applied to the Family Court Division of the High Court in Ughelli, Delta State seeking protection of the victim and assessing her health situation.

“The court application lists the Delta State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, and the child’s mother, among others as respondents.”

Aghogho lamented the lack of increased vigilance and action against child trafficking in Nigeria, calling for adequate measures to reduce the menace.

In suit No: UHC/FC/13/2024 filed at the Ughelli Family Court Division of the High Court, the activist sought police protection and medical assessment for Emmanuella.
Other orders sought from the court include restraining all the respondents from taking further action pending the hearing and determination of the case; transferring the child’s custody to Triumphal Model School’s proprietress, Magareth Oghuvwu, until the child attains adulthood; payment of N50,000 monthly for the child’s maintenance by the mother, Asuelie, conducting an assessment of the child’s health and well-being, declaration of the child’s sexual exploitation by Asulie and Asuelie’s custody of the child without verified parental rights unlawful; declaration of Asuelie’s delayed reporting of the child’s disappearance to the police after 24 hours unlawful, and other additional orders deemed necessary.

Recounting the events leading to the filing of the case, including his interview with the child, who confirmed allegations of sex trafficking by her mother, Aghogho made official complaints to the National Human Rights Commission and the police, resulting in the child’s police protection.

Meanwhile, a medical report from Ekpan General Hospital revealed that the child was sexually exploited under the custody of her mother.

Aghogho also voiced three issues for determination in his written address before the court: “Whether the child is a subject of police protection and state government assessment; whether Asuelie is under a legal obligation to report a case of a missing person within 24 hours; and whether Mrs Oghuvwu is entitled to monetary contribution from Asuelie for the maintenance and upkeep of the child.”

As all parties await the determination of the court case, the Chairman of Uvwie Local Government Area’s Child Rights Implementation Committee, Mr Graham Osakwe, also received a petition from Aghogho seeking to ensure the welfare of the 15-year-old alleged sex trafficking victim.

The Uvwie Local Government Area’s Child Rights Implementation Committee is mandated by law to protect children’s rights and welfare, emphasising safeguarding against exploitation and abuse.

In Nigeria, child rights implementation committees play a vital role in protecting children’s rights at national, state, and local government levels.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, providing guidelines for states to ensure children’s rights are respected and protected. This includes preventing child trafficking, a form of modern slavery that involves recruiting, moving, receiving, and harbouring children for exploitation.

Worried by the increasing rate of human trafficking in the state, a non-governmental organisation, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, in collaboration with the Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, recently selected 50 schools for a pilot project with a determination to end human trafficking in Delta State.
The project was designed to encompass a holistic approach, targeting students and the entire school community, including teachers, parents, and local civil society organisations.

The Head of the West Africa Region, International Centre for Migration Policy Development, Dr Mojisola Sodeinde, disclosed that Delta State had overtaken Edo State in human trafficking.

Sodeinde stated that human trafficking has long cast a shadow over communities in the state, particularly affecting most vulnerable children.

She said, “As we convene this workshop, let us acknowledge the presence of our esteemed donor, the representative of the Government of The Netherlands, our partners from NAPTIP, and other government officials from the federal, state and local government levels.

“With over 75 per cent of trafficking victims in West Africa being minors, the urgency of STEAP’s mission is apparent. As I speak, Delta has overtaken Edo State in human trafficking.
“Our collective goal in STEAP is to embed a robust educational framework within our schools that informs and protects our students and empowers them to be vigilant guardians of their futures.

“The ICMPD is an inter-governmental organisation headquartered in Vienna, Austria, with over 20 member states. ICMPD promotes innovative, comprehensive, and sustainable migration policies to harmonise and make migration management more efficient and function as a service exchange mechanism for governments and organisations.”

Sodeinde added, “Our activities include in-depth discussions on the issues of trafficking in persons, especially trafficking of school-age children, and your understanding of this subject matter and its dynamics is crucial as a critical stakeholder in the education sector.

“As we move forward, let us remember that the essence of our work is to safeguard our future, a future where every child can pursue education without fear and every community can thrive free from the chains of exploitation.

“We have selected 50 schools in Delta for the pilot of this project. We will train classroom teachers, and heads of school in primary and secondary schools.”

The Director, Research and Programme Development of NAPTIP, Josiah Emerole, noted that the sensitisation campaign against human trafficking was of so much importance to the agency.

Emerole added that NAPTIP was a creation of law in the fight against human trafficking and also to support victims of trafficking, as well as carrying out all prevention activities to reduce the cases of trafficking in Nigeria.
He added that “the fight against human trafficking does not belong to the federal, state and local government alone, but it is a collective effort because all our communities are vulnerable.”

Giving the statistics of human trafficking in the last eight months, the Police Public Relations Officer Delta State Command, Bright Edafe, stated that 51 persons were arrested for human trafficking within the period.

Edafe, who lamented the challenges the command was facing in the prosecution of human trafficking cases, said that the command would not relent in tackling the menace.

“Within the period under review, a total of 51 persons were arrested for human trafficking, the number of cases reported was 21 while 10 victims were recorded.

“However, there are numerous challenges in terms of human trafficking in the state. Even though human trafficking is seen as an offence, some people deliberately go into it.

“When we are investigating and trying to prosecute, getting witnesses and witnesses’ statements becomes a problem for us,” Edafe said.

“But we are actively on course to reduce the menace, just like the other time you saw how many suspects we arrested in Ughelli, where they were trafficking girls from Abia and Anambra states and even the present case of Emmanuella.
“We are gathering intelligence whenever they are carrying out human trafficking business; we always go after them. We are appealing for people to come out and testify.”

To address this ugly trend in the state, the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, expressed optimism that the passage of the state’s Human Trafficking Prohibition Bill 2024 would bring to an end the scourge of human trafficking in the state.

Commending the state lawmakers for their efforts in the passage of the bill, which was read the third time on the floor of the Assembly, the Speaker noted that the legislative milestone marked a significant step towards combating human trafficking in the state.

Guwor appreciated stakeholders and experts who contributed to the development of the bill and its scrutiny, saying their unanimous support and commitment were commendable.

He said, “The significance of good legislation in protecting vulnerable individuals, particularly women and children from exploitation and abuse, can never be over-emphasised.

“At our plenary on Wednesday, we took a bold step towards safeguarding our citizens from the scourge of human trafficking. I commend members for their untiring support and dedication to this cause.

“My colleagues and I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that laws passed by the Assembly translated into tangible positive change for our people”
Expressing optimism for early action on the passed bill, the Speaker stressed the importance of effective implementation and enforcement of the law to ensure its intended impact.

He also outlined other steps, such as the collaboration of relevant agencies and organisations to establish mechanisms for reporting, investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases.

It is, however, hoped that Emmanuella would get justice, as there have been several alleged compromises in such cases, even by the high and mighty, including judicial officers and highly placed politicians and civil servants in the state.