NIGERIAN Immigration Service (NIS) operatives attached to the Alimosho Passport Office have foiled attempts by a suspected human trafficking ring to take two underage girls out of the country.
The Nation gathered that the alleged trafficker had taken the girls to the passport office claiming they were her daughters in a bid to procure international passports for them.
But the eagle-eyed officers, who could not reconcile the woman’s age with those of the two girls she claimed she birthed, queried her submissions for further investigation and it turned out the girls were allegedly recruited by her to be shipped abroad for exploitation.
A source who confided in The Nation said the incident occurred last week, adding that several of such persons have been apprehended at the branch which commenced business late last year.
“It seems traffickers think because this passport office is new, they will have it easy. It is not possible here as we scrutinized every form and ensure due diligence.
“We have had instances where people want to procure passports for adopted children for the purpose of taking them overseas. Those who have legal documents of adoption were directed to Abuja as it is only the CG that has the final say on such issues.
“For those who did illegal adoptions, they came posing that the babies were their biological kids but were uncovered by our diligent officers. When certain documents were required from them, some of them never came back,” said the source.
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Confirming the arrest of the suspected trafficker, Passport Control Officer (PCO), Mrs Ayoola Malaolu, said her team would continue to work professionally to stop traffickers and others with criminal intentions from getting travel documents with which they can move underage persons out of the country for their selfish gains.
She urged applicants to always exercise patience and ensure they follow the queue, assuring that customers would be attended to with courtesy.
