No fewer than 14 Nigerians have been declared wanted by INTERPOL for offences ranging from human trafficking, drug trafficking, robbery, fraud, and forgery, among others.
According to Red Notices published on the INTERPOL website on Tuesday, the 14 individuals are wanted by various countries where they are alleged to have committed these crimes.
The wanted persons are identified as Felix Omoregie, Jessica Edosomwan, Uche Egbue, Jude Uzoma, Chinedu Ezeunara, Benedict Okoro, Ikechukwu Obidiozor, and Alachi Stanley, among others, including Bouhari Salif, Timloh Nkem, Austine Costa, Okromi Festus, Akachi Vitus, and Mary Eze.
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The notices state that Omoregie is sought by Belgian authorities for allegedly leading a criminal organisation that exploits minors for prostitution. The notice reads: “Family name: Omoregie, Forename: Felix, Gender: Male, Date of birth: 22/10/1977 (47 years old), Nationality: Nigeria.
“Charges published as provided by requesting entity: Sexual exploitation or exploitation of prostitution of minors over 16 years of age; Sexual exploitation or exploitation of prostitution of another person/Leader of a criminal organisation/Human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation.”
The notice for Edosomwan states she is wanted by French authorities for “multiple victims trafficking in human beings, committed against several persons. Organised gang competition in an operation of placing, concealing, or converting the proceeds of an offence.”
Egbue is wanted by Argentine authorities for alleged drug trafficking, while Uzoma is sought by Brazil for the same offence. Ezeunara is wanted by the government of Uruguay for alleged drug trafficking, and Okoro is wanted by Nicaragua for alleged organised crime.
Further checks on the INTERPOL website reveal that Obidiozor, Vitus, and Stanley are wanted by the Angolan government for alleged “kidnapping, robbery, and illegal possession of firearms.”
Other notices indicate that Eze is wanted by Denmark for alleged “traffic in human beings,” Salif by China for alleged “drug smuggling,” and Nkem by Canada for alleged “sexual assault, and failure to comply with a condition of recognisance.”
Costa, according to the published notices, is wanted by India for alleged “criminal conspiracy; possession of forged documents knowing them to be fake and intending to use them as genuine; forgery of valuable security, will, etc.; forgery for the purpose of cheating,” and Okromi is also wanted by India for “criminal conspiracy and cheating.”
INTERPOL clarified that the Red Notices serve to alert the public to potential threats and to seek assistance in locating individuals.
The statement read, “A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant.
“The individuals are wanted by the requesting member country or international tribunal. Member countries apply their laws in deciding whether to arrest a person.”
INTERPOL urged the public to report any information about the wanted individuals to local police authorities.
