Girl sold in Mali for N450,000 calls for help

NAPTIP BOSS OKAH-DONLI

A 25-year-old lady, identified as Miss Ogechukwu Okonkwo, has made a frantic phone call from Mali, to her uncle Ndubisi Okafor in Nigeria to come and rescue her.
The lady was said to have made the call from Mali after discovering that one Helen, who came to pick her in Nigeria, to Mali, had actually sold her in the sum of N450,000. The girl had further urged her uncle to do everything to ensure that police got Helen arrested.
Okafor, wracked with worry and unsure what to do, ran straight to a nongovernmental organisation, Welfare Peace and Universal Human Rights Initiative, located in Anambra State. 
After listening to Okafor’s story, the right group petitioned the Zonal Commander, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Enugu State.
Comrade Chris Prince Chidiadi of Welfare Peace and Universal Human Rights Initiative said: “ We received report from Ndubisi Okafor on September 2, 2017. He said his friend, Akunwata from Ukpo Dunukofia government of area of Anambra State approached him that his brother needs some girls that will work in a restaurant and that the girls after working for six months would be settled to start their own restaurant business. Okafor went to Ogechukwu and told her about the business. She accepted. Okafor took Ogechukwu to Akpo, where he met Akunwata and a woman. They both  introduced her to Helen. Ogechukwu was told that Helen had been  assisting people to Mali. Ogechukwu was handed over to Helen.”
Chidiadi said that three weeks later, Ogechukwu called him, complaining that she was suffering in Mali. She urged him to everything possible for her to return to Nigeria, that where she was, there are too many girls packed into a room.
Chidiadi further said: “ Ogechukwu said that every day, people will come to pick one or two of the girls and that none of the girls had ever returned. She further informed Okafor that Helen sold them at the rate of N450,000. Ogechukwu said that she was in big danger in Mali. She further said that she suspected that the girls, who were taken out, were taken out for ritual purposes. Ogechukwu begged Okafor to arrest Helen.”
Since Okafor received the frantic phone call from Ogechukwu, he had tried calling Helen on her international and Nigeria lines, but none went through.
Okafor noted that on October 4, 2017, he was finally able to get Helen. When he asked her where she was, she said in Edo State with some girls she wanted to take to Mali. Okafor alerted police and Helen was arrested.
Chidiadi said: “ Okafor informed us that since the day she was arrested, he has received a lot of phone calls threatening him that he should release  Helen or they would harm him. They also told him that if he allows police to release Helen, that they would release Ogechukwu. We urge NAPTIP to investigate the case as those calling are members of Helen’s syndicate. Helen should inform NAPTIP where she kept those she recently got Edo State, which she wanted to transfer to Mali before her arrest.”
Welfare Peace and Universal Human Rights Initiative, also petitioned the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, asking that the case of Helen, which is with police, should be transferred to NAPTIP.
The petition, signed by Chidiad, states: “ We shall be grateful if your office will authorize the area Command Police Nnewi to transfer the case with the suspect, Helen, who is currently in their custody at Nnewi for further investigation by NAPTIP as victims involved are more than 10, who are at Edo State and Mali and held by Helen’s syndicate.”