The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, says it has rescued four girls trafficked from Akwa Ibom to Mali for sexual exploitation.

The Uyo Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mr Emmanuel Awhen, revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Uyo.

Awhen said the girls were rescued in collaboration with a partner, Global Anti-human Trafficking Organisation (GAHTO), working with the agency in Mali.

The Zonal Commander said that the girls were lucky as one of them had the phone number of a NAPTIP official and was able to call through someone’s phone to inform the officer of their ordeal in Mali.

“Acting on the information, we swung into action and in collaboration with the GAHTO to rescue the girls and reunite them with their families in Akwa Ibom.

“They were deceived and trafficked to Mali under the guise of going to work in a supermarket and saloon, but they ended up in forced labour and sexual exploitation.

“Luckily for them, one has our phone number and called through someone’s phone.

“She also sent numerous voice notes, which we used to connect and repatriate them back to Akwa Ibom using our international partners,” Awhen said.

According to him, the rescued girls disclosed to them that more than 50 young girls from the state are still in Mali doing prostitution.

He added that the agency had within the past one month secured conviction of one of the human traffickers, who specialises in recruiting young girls to Mali and Cote d’Ivoire for sex slavery.

He appealed to parents and guardians to be mindful of those coming to deceive their children with promises of greener pastures.

The commander solicited support from the State Government and other stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking in the state.

He urged victims of human trafficking and the public to always reach out to the agency for help through the following phone numbers: 08069539747, 08023574406 and 08035961835.