The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has rescued 24 victims of human trafficking, including two pregnant women and a toddler, during a raid on an illegal confinement camp in Badagry, Lagos State.
The operation, carried out by NSCDC operatives in Badagry on June 4, 2026, led to the arrest of three suspects, while two others remain on the run. The victims comprised 16 males, seven females and a one-and-a-half-year-old girl.
According to the NSCDC, the suspects allegedly trafficked and illegally detained victims from the Benin Republic, Togo and Nigeria, forcing them into criminal activities and extorting money from their families through false claims of kidnapping or accidents.
Speaking during the parade of the suspects and victims at the NSCDC Badagry Divisional Office, the agency’s Lagos Command spokesperson, Oluwaseun Abolurin, said the suspects were linked to cases of human trafficking, illegal migration, abduction and unlawful confinement.
He revealed that some victims were allegedly compelled to consume substances mixed with food, resulting in memory loss and making it difficult for them to recall their identities or places of origin. Three of the rescued victims had reportedly been separated from their families for periods ranging from six months to three years.
Abolurin added that the traffickers operated a camp where victims were forced to contact relatives and demand money under false pretences. He noted that many families had spent years searching for missing loved ones without success.
The suspects were identified as Medard Idowu and Shelian Wensu, both from the Benin Republic, and Agbo Ledia from Togo. NSCDC officials said investigations are ongoing to apprehend other members of the trafficking network.
The agency credited the successful operation to intelligence provided by residents and assured that it would continue collaborating with other security agencies to dismantle trafficking syndicates operating in Lagos and beyond.
NSCDC also appealed to families searching for missing relatives to come forward with relevant information, as efforts are underway to profile the rescued victims and reunite them with their loved ones.
