.Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has confirmed that teenage girls from the state who were reportedly trafficked to Nnewi in Anambra State have been safely rescued and reunited with their families. The development follows a disturbing viral social media video that showed a group of underage girls allegedly forced into prostitution in a brothel in Anambra.
Governor Nwifuru, speaking at his country home in Oferekpe during the Oferekpe Day celebration, said the rescued girls, aged between approximately 13 and 16 years, are now back with their families and that the state government is making arrangements for their rehabilitation and empowerment to help them become self-reliant.
“All the girls seen in the viral video have been brought back and reunited with their parents. They are currently living with their families, and we are working towards their rehabilitation,” the governor stated.
Governor Nwifuru reiterated his administration’s commitment to clamping down on child and human trafficking, saying the government will not tolerate any form of trafficking of Ebonyi citizens within Nigeria or abroad for sexual exploitation. He described the incident as a “disturbing and unacceptable violation of the rights of children.”
The incident in Nnewi comes amid growing concerns about child trafficking and exploitation in parts of Anambra State, where law enforcement and community reports indicate multiple operations against trafficking rings. In recent weeks, police in the state reportedly busted a child trafficking cartel in Aguleri, rescuing dozens of underage girls believed to have been abducted from various localities and possibly used for prostitution.
Separately, earlier reports have documented similar police actions in Anambra, including the rescue of minors from brothels and the arrest of suspected traffickers linked to the exploitation of children and illegal adoption networks.
While details on how the rescue operation in Nnewi was carried out have not been fully disclosed, the Anambra State Police Command and other security agencies in the past have conducted coordinated raids on establishments suspected to be involved in child exploitation and human trafficking. Residents and advocacy groups have regularly urged authorities to improve intelligence gathering and inter-state collaboration to arrest trafficking syndicates and protect vulnerable children.
Governor Nwifuru said the state government will focus on rehabilitation programs, including psychosocial support, education, and skills training for the rescued girls, to ensure they have opportunities for a stable future. He also hinted that additional actions would be taken in due course to further strengthen child protection mechanisms across the state.
The government’s announcement has drawn praise from child rights activists and community leaders, who have called for sustained efforts and stricter enforcement of anti-trafficking laws to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
