The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has launched an investigation into two Ogun State fathers accused of trafficking their teenage daughters to Libya for exploitative labour

The Ogun State Commander of the agency, Bose Jimoh, confirmed that 55-year-old Akinsanya Oladimeji and 45-year-old Kehinde Rasheed are under probe for allegedly sending their 15-year-old daughters, Adeola and Rokibat Adeyemi, on a dangerous journey through the desert to North Africa

According to NAPTIP’s account, the girls were trafficked to Libya and received on arrival by Afusat Akinsanya, the wife of Oladimeji and mother of Adeola Afusat is said to have been living in Libya since 2018 and is suspected to be a key link in the trafficking chain

Rasheed, a widower, reportedly told investigators that Afusat later informed him that his daughter, Rokibat, had died in Libya after an illness He allegedly kept the news from his late wife’s family and attempted to conceal both the trafficking and the death

The cover-up began to unravel when relatives of Rasheed’s late wife repeatedly demanded to know the whereabouts of the 15-year-old girl Their pressure, according to NAPTIP, eventually forced Rasheed to admit that his daughter had been taken to Libya and had died there under unclear circumstances

Alarmed family members then reported the matter to the police The Nigeria Police Force arrested both fathers and subsequently transferred the case file and suspects to NAPTIP for specialised investigation into human trafficking and possible manslaughter or related offences

Jimoh said the agency is determined to uncover the full circumstances surrounding Rokibat’s death, including the conditions she faced in Libya and the role of every adult involved Investigators are also working to trace and secure the safe return of Adeola, the second 15-year-old victim, who is believed to still be in Libya

NAPTIP has indicated that all suspects found complicit in the recruitment, transportation, harbouring or exploitation of the girls will be prosecuted under Nigeria’s anti-trafficking laws The case has again highlighted the persistent trafficking of young Nigerians through the Sahara Desert to North Africa, where many end up in forced labour, domestic servitude or other forms of exploitation