The Nigeria Police Force has arrested Felix Omoregie, alias “Eghosa Johnson Omoregie,” in Benin City, Edo State, for masterminding a human trafficking ring that exploited Nigerian girls across Europe under the guise of voodoo-based oaths and bondage debts ranging from €20,000 to €50,000.
In a statement by the Nigerian Police, Omoregie, who was declared wanted by Belgian authorities through an INTERPOL Red Notice issued on December 19, 2023, was apprehended following intelligence-led operations by police operatives.
He is accused of trafficking young Nigerian women, including minors, to Italy and dispersing them across various European countries for sexual exploitation.
How the trafficking ring operates
According to investigations, Omoregie’s syndicate employed spiritual coercion and psychological manipulation to trap victims.
The trafficked girls were forced to swear oaths rooted in voodoo rituals and were burdened with fake debts ranging from €20,000 to €50,000, used as a means of control.
The criminal network extended beyond Nigeria, with handlers in Brussels and France responsible for managing the victims and remitting the proceeds back to Omoregie.
Conviction in Belgium
In 2021, Omoregie was convicted in absentia by a Belgian court for “multiple counts of aggravated human trafficking and criminal organization leadership.”
He fled to Nigeria shortly after the judgment. Upon his arrest in Benin City, law enforcement officers conducted a search of his premises and discovered incriminating materials, including a photocopy of a passport reportedly intended for a planned relocation to Canada.
The Nigeria Police confirmed that Omoregie will be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Benin City to face charges related to his alleged criminal activities and international fugitive status.
UAE fugitive arrested in Enugu
In a separate but coordinated operation, the Nigeria Police also apprehended 37-year-old Okwudili Sabastine Ezeje, a fugitive wanted by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for serious offences including armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, and other forms of organized crime.
Ezeje was arrested at a hideout in Nsukka, Enugu State, by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja.
Intelligence reports indicate that even while hiding in Nigeria, Ezeje remained active, remotely coordinating high-profile criminal activities in Dubai and Sharjah.
Crimes linked to Ezeje
The fugitive has been linked to multiple armed robbery incidents, including an attack on a grocery store in Dubai Mall, a robbery at Al Ansari Exchange in Jumeirah, and another heist at a Bureau de Change in Jebel Ali Village.
His arrest was the result of strategic intelligence sharing and cooperation between the Nigerian Police Force, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Dubai Police. Authorities say Ezeje will soon be arraigned in court.
