Traders at the Adire section of the world-renowned Balogun Market on Lagos Island were thrown into total disbelief over the weekend when operatives of the Lagos State Police Command uncovered a high-profile child trafficking and forced prostitution ring operating inside a four-storey commercial building.
The structure, which was outwardly presented to the public as a regular beverage warehouse, housed clandestine brothels across two of its floors.
Older female syndicates allegedly rented these rooms to lock up, isolate, and sexually exploit underage girls, forcing them to cater to dozens of male clients daily under brutal conditions.
The major tactical raid was led physically by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, who accompanied detectives and media personnel to the crime scene alongside a 28-year-old prime suspect, Princess Andrew. Andrew, an indigene of Delta State, was apprehended on June 12, 2026, after one of the underage survivors managed to escape from the facility while bleeding heavily from multiple injuries inflicted upon her body.
The teenage survivor revealed that she was originally lured from Asaba, Delta State, under the false pretense of securing a legitimate catering job in Lagos paying N100,000 monthly, only to be forced into sex work from her very first night in the market.
“My work day starts from 4am and continues till 5pm without food or rest," the brave teenage survivor narrated during her official police statement.
"She wouldn’t give me a kobo unless I had slept with about 60 men, and then I would get N1,500. I couldn’t even get money to buy tissue, and whenever I complained of pain in my body and asked to be allowed to heal, she would beat me with irons and bottles. She uses the money we make to care for her children in the east, while she cannot care for us."
The victim's escape route ended at Costain, where a compassionate commuter observed her critical condition and escorted her to the Bode Thomas Police Station, prompting immediate medical intervention by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Arit Abang.
While the suspect, Princess Andrew, vehemently denied the charges—claiming she was merely an independent sex worker who offered temporary accommodation to the girl—the police leadership confirmed that a full forensic investigation is underway.
CP Tijani Fatai stated that 12 young girls have been successfully rescued from the building and are currently undergoing intensive profiling, medical checkups, and age verification to ensure that all members of the criminal enterprise face the full weight of the law.
#LagosPolice #BalogunMarket #HumanTrafficking #ChildExploitation #TijaniFatai #BodeThomasStation #LagosIsland #PoliceRaid
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