Eyambi Mediki Sona from Kumba, Meme division of the South West is currently under detention at the special branch Muyuka with charges of #Human Trafficking levied against him. According to reports,Eyambi through a contact in Nigeria has for a while now been illegally smuggling girls from Nigeria through Cameroon to Europe and other parts of the world. But this time, nature caught up with him as a tip off from one of his neighbors who suspected his movement foiled his plan.

As the story goes, the four girls Andra Akwage, age 19, Osazi Ota, 24, Vera Akborn and Mercy Osala both in their mid-twenties from Benin state, Nigeria, were approached  by the contact, a woman, who promised to get them abroad where they could easily get a high paid job. She however told them that they would have to go through Cameroon since it was easier to process documents there.

Andra Akwage who spoke to this reporter said “…after I lost my mum, a woman came and told me that she would help me travel and since I had learned a trade, it would be easy for me to make money. I accepted and she gave me the contact of “uncle Sona” and instructed us to go to Egbidi and board a bus for Cameroon from there. 

 
 
 

To Cameroon

In Cameroon we called the man and after a while he came and took us to this house.” She said pointing at a single room the five of them slept in for over a month, “…they told us that they would process our papers, our passports and visas…only my brother was aware of my journey since I don’t have any other family member” she said while pleading to be taken back to Nigeria. Presenting the case to the press last Thursday October 13, the Commissioner  of the Special branch Muyuka, Mbang Assoumou Clement, who led the task force to crack down the accused trafficker explained that the man with his accomplices are believed to be using fake documents to smuggle girls abroad, to serve as sex slaves and domestic laborers. This he added was due to the fact that none of the girls knew where they were heading and how much it would cost them to get there. 

Ongoing investigation

In a guided visit to the hideout of the trafficker far away from the main road, in an interior quarter called Mobaba quarter two, where a school teacher had rented a room to the man and the four girls, the commissioner explained that according to investigations the man was familiar with his route indicating that he has been doing the business for a long time. Both the commissioner and state counsel for Muyuka who were presented with the case however refused to speak further stating that investigations were still on-going. However, police sources in Muyuka hinted this reporter that Eyambi Mediki Sona who was hidden from public view had been on the police radar for a while due to his illicit activities. At the time of this report, the accused as well as the four girls were under police custody at the Muyuka Gendarmerie and if found guilty the man risks serving jail term from 10 to 20 years as prescribed under section 342.1 of the penal code which condemns trafficking and slavery of persons.

As for the girls, it is reported that they would be handed over to the Nigerian consulate for onward repatriation back to Nigeria. #girls to Europe