The Kick against Human Trafficking and Human Rights Abuse Foundation (KAHTHRAF) has facilitated the arrest and handover of an alleged kidnapper to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The alleged kidnapper, Muritala Sanni, was nabbed at his hideout in a hotel in Amukoko, Lagos State, by policemen from the Amukoko Police Station.
President of the foundation, Ojay Akinwale, said that Sanni was arrested after one of his victims was used to lure him out.
‘It has been a long battle and journey, and our people have never given up hunting for him’, Punch quoted him as saying.
‘We have been looking for him since 2016, although our fight against human trafficking in Nigeria started in 2004.
‘Before now, we, alongside NAPTIP, have been able to arrest and get a conviction for some members of his gang, but Sanni and his wife, who died recently in Libya, have been evading arrest.
‘We resumed our efforts again about one month ago; when we were not making any headway, we decided to use one of his previous victims as bait.
‘We do not know what has happened to him; he told the lady that he lost all his money.
‘So, we made her play along and she told him that she would pay the hotel bills and other expenses.
‘He was sceptical initially, but we continued to play along and not rushing things, until they fixed an appointment for Wednesday, September 23, 2020, for a hotel in Amukoko.
‘We tracked him down while they were at the hotel room with the assistance of the Divisional Police Officer of Amukoko.
‘He gave us four policemen, who stormed the hotel with us and arrested him. Sanni is now with NAPTIP at Ikeja, as the agency that specialises in fighting human trafficking.
‘But that’s not to say we are handing off the case; we will follow up the matter to a logical conclusion to get justice for his victims’.
On her part, the Public Relations Officer at NAPTIP, Hajara Tunde-Osho, said, ‘The suspect was arrested on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, and handed over to the police on Thursday, September 24, 2020’, adding that the suspect will be investigated and prosecuted.
Source: Punch
Photo source: Stephen Martin
