Breaking: Police Bust Morning Star Brothel in Aguleri: Over 25 Underage Girls Rescued from Forced Prostitution Ring
By Yahaya Idris
Investigators from the Nigeria Police Force uncovered a harrowing human trafficking operation at the Morning Star Brothel in Aguleri, Anambra State, rescuing more than 25 underage girls aged 13 to 19 who were being coerced into prostitution.
The raid, executed on Tuesday afternoon following months of covert surveillance, exposed a syndicate preying on vulnerable minors from across southeastern and north-central Nigeria.
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Sources within the Anambra State Police Command revealed that the operation stemmed from intelligence linking the brothel to a missing girl from Ebonyi State reported in October 2025.
The probe began last October when a 15-year-old girl from Ikwo Local Government Area in Ebonyi vanished under suspicious circumstances. Her family’s frantic search led to tips about a “recruitment” network luring girls with false job promises.
Police trackers followed digital footprints and informant leads across state lines, piecing together a trail from Ebonyi through Enugu and Abia to the brothel in Aguleri.
“We tailed buses and monitored suspicious movements for weeks,” a senior investigator confided, highlighting how the girl was located after five months of relentless pursuit.
Victims hailed from diverse origins: Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, and even Niger State, painting a picture of a well-oiled interstate trafficking pipeline.
While preliminary interviews suggest many were enticed by relatives or acquaintances posing as benefactors, promising domestic work or petty trading to support impoverished families.
Global Times Nigeria investigation uncovered patterns of deception, with girls as young as 13 transported in groups via commercial buses, their travel documents forged or absent.
Police records indicate at least 28 girls were on site, with ages verified through birth certificates and parental confirmations.
One rescued victim, a 16-year-old from Abia State whom we’ll call Chioma for her protection, provided a chilling firsthand account during police debriefing.
She recounted being brought to Aguleri by a cousin sister last year, lured with tales of lucrative employment to aid her ailing mother.
Upon arrival, the “job” revealed itself as forced prostitution. “I cried and begged to go home, but they said I owed them transport money, ₦50,000.and must ‘work it off’ sleeping with men,” Chioma stated, her voice trembling in a video obtained by our reporters.
Chioma’s escape attempts exposed the brothel’s iron grip. She fled twice, once sneaking out at dawn, the second time during a market run, but enforcers, including burly male guards, recaptured her each time, beating her and locking her in a back room. “They watch us like hawks,” she said.
Other girls corroborated tales of physical abuse, confiscated phones, and threats to families back home, suggesting a sophisticated control mechanism beyond a single madam.
Operations at Morning Star ran like a clandestine marketplace, our sources learned. Evenings saw girls dressed in revealing attire, often just panties, and paraded outside the nondescript building along Aguleri’s outskirts, beckoning clients under dim lanterns.
If questioned about management, they were drilled to deny any “madam,” claiming independence to evade scrutiny.
Clients paid ₦2,000 to ₦5,000 per encounter, with proceeds funneled to unseen bosses. Police raids netted ₦150,000 in cash, client ledgers, and sedatives used to subdue resistant girls.
The Aguleri bust raises alarms about deeper networks. Investigators suspect links to similar dens in nearby Onitsha and Awka, with the madam, a 42-year-old woman now in custody, acting as a mid-level operator. No arrests of higher-ups yet, but phone records seized point to coordinators in Benin City and Lagos.
“This is just the tip,” an officer warned, noting Anambra’s porous borders facilitate such rackets amid economic hardship.
All victims are now in protective custody at a police shelter in Awka, receiving medical checks, counseling, and family reunifications.
The Anambra Command vows thorough probes, with charges of child trafficking, forced labor, and conspiracy under the Trafficking in Persons Act pending.
As girls like Chioma heal, questions linger: How many more brothels operate unchecked, and what safeguards will stem this tide?
