A 39-year-old man identified as Yusuf has been arrested in Adamawa State for allegedly trafficking girls to Lagos, from where they were transported to Ghana for prostitution.

Police say Yusuf confessed to working as a transporter within a wider trafficking syndicate for several years.

According to a statement by the command in Yola on Tuesday, the suspect collaborated with two women, identified as Happy and Elizabeth, who allegedly supplied the girls.

The suspect claimed his job was to move the victims from Yola to Lagos and hand them over to another agent responsible for taking them onward to Ghana.

“Happy once introduced me to the woman who normally collects the girls in Lagos and takes them to Ghana, but I don’t have direct contact with her,” he told investigators.

Yusuf further disclosed that he received N50,000 for each girl he transported. The victims were reportedly aged between 14 and 30.

He was also said to have claimed to have temporarily stopped trafficking after losing his job and vehicles but returned to it “out of frustration”.

He expressed remorse, saying he is married with three children and would never want his daughter to become a victim of prostitution.

Confirming the arrest, Police Public Relations Officer Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje said officers acted on a tip-off from parents of two girls who were being moved out of the state. The victims were intercepted on their way to Lagos.

Nguroje noted that the suspect had provided substantial information about the trafficking network and admitted he could no longer recall how many girls he had transported over the years.

He confirmed that the rescued victims, aged between 14 and 21, were minors being trafficked from Adamawa to Ghana.

The police spokesperson called on parents and the public to remain vigilant, particularly in safeguarding young girls from trafficking schemes.

He urged community members to report suspicious activities promptly, emphasising that timely information is vital for effective law enforcement action.