SPANISH POLICE RESCUE HOSTAGE BOY – SPAIN HAS CRACKED A NUMBER OF GROUPS SMUGGLING NIGERIAN WOMEN

Published in Vanguard, June 11, 2006

Two Nigerian women have been arrested in Spain accused of stealing a child and forcing his mother into prostitution to pay their ransom.  The mother, also Nigerian claims her son was snatched from her shortly after he was born four years ago.

She said the women demanded 45,000 euros (£31,000) for his return and threatened her with voodoo.  The boy was kept hidden from neighbours in a Madrid flat until police tracked him down and rescued him last week.  The kidnap and blackmail came to light when the mother, who has since given up prostitution, went to the police.  She said the women had got her into Spain from Nigeria illegally which was why she owed them money.

Despite being the only black child in the block of flats, hardly any of his neighbours had seen him there police statement. After they took her son, she said she worked as a prostitute in different clubs around Spain to pay off the debt.  Officers investigating he case confirmed that the woman had a baby in 2002 and finally tracked down the suspects – identified only as Becky F, age 28 and Faith N, age 24.

The women were known to live in a flat with an 18 month old girl and another young Nigerian woman.  Officers could not confirm the presence of a young boy until a neighbour reported hearing cries from the flat that differed from the little girl’s. The surveillance teams got the breakthrough they needed when a boy appeared on the balcony.

Nogi Imoukhuede,
Project Coordinator,
Women's Rights Watch Nigeria-www.rufarm.kabissa.org