Katsina Hotel Raid Unmasks Sex Trafficking Syndicate — Victims Rescued, Traffickers Nabbed

RYNI Media: By Omotayo Stephen O.
10 July 2025

Three young women, aged between 21 and 26, were rescued from a nightmare in plain sight after operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) raided a well-known hotel in Katsina, exposing an active sex trafficking ring run by an interstate syndicate.

Punch News gathered that the victims—two from Benue State and one from Rivers State—were discovered in a cramped, poorly lit room within the hotel premises. Lured with promises of legitimate employment, the women were allegedly trafficked, confined, and coerced into prostitution, servicing as many as 20 men daily under deplorable conditions.

NAPTIP’s Chief Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, in an official statement, disclosed that three suspected traffickers were apprehended during the operation. Among them were the hotel manager and two staff members, believed to be collaborators in the trafficking operation.

“This syndicate specialized in recruiting young women from other parts of the country, harboring them, and facilitating their sexual exploitation across the northern region,” the statement read.

One of the rescued victims described how she was misled into believing she was coming for a well-paying job. “I kept asking what the job was. The woman kept saying, ‘You’ll understand when we get there.’ When we arrived, they said we must sleep with men—every day, whether we’re tired, sick, or menstruating. Refusal wasn’t an option.”

Another victim revealed the psychological and physical toll: “They gave us energy drinks every evening so we wouldn’t collapse from exhaustion. They took all the money, left us to feed ourselves, and threatened us with watchers who kept tabs on us 24/7.”

Punch News gathered that the traffickers set up a surveillance network involving local men around the hotel who were paid to report any escape attempts. The syndicate head, a woman known as “Amarachi,” allegedly pocketed the proceeds from the forced sex work while the girls endured abuse in silence.

Reacting to the incident, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Bello, condemned the complicity of the hotel in enabling human trafficking. “We are not only going after the traffickers. Any establishment found aiding these crimes will face full legal consequences. This hotel will not be spared,” she vowed.

She also disclosed that legal proceedings are underway and urged other state commands to intensify surveillance of hotels, joints, and motor parks, describing them as common trafficking hubs.

“This is modern-day slavery,” Bello said. “But justice is catching up.”

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