The Delta State Police Command is investigating an alleged case of human trafficking and organ harvesting involving a 19-year-old woman from Ekpan. The incident was reported on April 3, 2026, at approximately 5:30 p.m. by the victim's mother, whose identity has been withheld.
According to the mother, her daughter, who had been living with her father in Okpaka, arrived at her home in Ekpan in a severely ill condition. Upon questioning, the teenager revealed that in September 2025, she and two friends met a woman named Blessing Mongo. Mongo introduced them to another suspect, Esther, and later to a third woman, Onome. The trio allegedly promised to take them to Ivory Coast for prostitution.
The victim stated that shortly after arriving in Ivory Coast, she was injected with an unknown substance and subsequently taken to a hospital. When she regained consciousness, she found her abdomen bandaged. The suspects later brought her back to Nigeria and abandoned her in Lagos, from where she eventually returned to Delta State.
Following the complaint, police arrested two suspects: Blessing Mongo, 47, and Esther, 32. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation. A medical examination revealed that the victim's womb had allegedly been removed without her consent before she was returned to Nigeria.
The two suspects remain in custody, while efforts are underway to apprehend other individuals linked to the trafficking network. The case has raised concerns about the increasing sophistication of transnational trafficking syndicates targeting vulnerable young women under the guise of overseas opportunities.
In a related development, the command disclosed that it charged about 455 criminal cases to court between January 2026 and April 2026. Of these, 205 cases have been prosecuted, while 250 are pending in courts across the state's 25 local councils. The Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, made this known during a press briefing in Asaba, stating that the figures reflect the command's renewed push against crime. He added that sustained prosecution should deter criminal elements, emphasizing the command's commitment to public safety and justice amid concerns over kidnapping, armed robbery, cult violence, and trafficking in parts of Delta State.
