By Nurat Uthman
The Gender Unit of the Nigerian Police Force Criminal Investigation Department in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) conducted a raid on Ignobis Hotels located on Gado Nasco Road in Kubwa, Abuja.
The raid was carried out due to allegations of abuse and endangerment of minors.
Inspector Ossai Ojobo, an Investigation Police Officer, led the raid along with officials from the Social Development Secretarial (SDS) of the FCT Administration and representatives from a non-governmental organization.
Following the raid, the Hotel Manager, Mr Akbueze Chidi, and a restaurant operator in the hotel, Ms Priscilla Abuyah, were arrested and taken to the Force CID for questioning and further investigation.
The raid was prompted by a petition submitted by the Human Rights Agenda Network (HRAN), alleging that the hotel was housing minors and subjecting them to sexual exploitation.
The petition was directed to the Social Welfare Department of the SDS, which then forwarded it to the Gender Unit of the Force CID for investigation.
Mrs Joy Omokivie, the SDS Officer overseeing the case, informed the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the hotel was referred to as a brothel by local residents, where young girls, including underage girls, were being brought in for sexual purposes.
According to the petition, HRAN claimed that a 12-year-old girl and her younger brother, aged 4, were staying at the hotel with a woman who was believed to be their mother.
Following investigations, the 12-year-old girl was rescued and is currently under the care of the Social Welfare Department, while the young boy remains with his mother.
The raid was part of an ongoing investigation to verify the allegations and, if substantiated, to rescue the minors and prosecute those responsible.
HRAN accused a woman named Mrs Immanuela Austyn-Araki, a Bolt driver, of abandoning the children in the hotel during the day, leaving them to fend for themselves.
The NGO further stated that the children primarily consumed snacks and noodles until late at night or the following morning when the woman returned.
HRAN’s investigation revealed that the woman and the children had been lodging in the hotel for over two years, exposing them to various forms of sexual activities by other adults staying in the hotel.
The group also discovered that the girl had unrestricted access to the internet and was accessing inappropriate websites for her age. Additionally, the girl had an account on Tik-Tok where she uploaded adult-related content.
According to the group, men, including the hotel owner, pay regular visits to the room occupied by the minors and their mother, whenever the mother is not around.
HRAN also expressed suspicion that the woman may be involved in child trafficking, alleging that there were underage girls in the hotel premises working as commercial sex workers.
The NGO, thereafter, asked the police to investigate the matter with a view to save the endangered child and bring the culprits to book.
However, after reading the petition at the Force CID, the manager of the hotel and the restaurant operator declined to make any response except in the presence of their lawyer.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Hotel, Mr Eze Obasi, refuted the allegation, saying “I am a good Christian and a traditional title holder in my community.
“As such, I cannot be a party to sexual exploitation, abuse, or endangerment of underage girls in my hotel.
“All I know is that the woman in question was being maltreated by her husband and she came to the hotel with her children to seek refuge from her abusive husband.
“This complaint has been brought before me by four different groups and it has been settled.
“I do not understand why police officers will still come to the hotel to embarrass my clients in the name of police search for minors,” he said.
NAN reports that after the raid that ended around 8:30 p.m., the young minor and the mother were not found at the hotel.
