The Oyo State Police Command has uncovered a human trafficking syndicate operating in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

In the coordinated operation, officers rescued 84 individuals including a child from a residential building in the Orogun area of the city, where they had allegedly been held against their will for an unspecified period.

Preliminary investigations reveal that the victims, believed to be nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo, were brought into Nigeria under the false promise of employment opportunities.

It was also disclosed that the perpetrators allegedly extorted large sums of money, reportedly in United States dollars, from the victims’ families and relatives as part of the elaborate scheme.

The rescued individuals are currently being held at the Police Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, while further investigations are ongoing to establish the full extent of the operation and bring all those responsible to justice.