PHOTO: Cameroonian woman being probed
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The National Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce of Liberia and the Liberia National Police are investigating a Cameroonian lady for alleged human trafficking.
Madam Violet Njuakom is being held for allegedly trafficking three fellow Cameroonians using Liberia as a point of transit to Poland and Mexico.
In 2020, Liberia was elevated to Tier 2 in the international trafficking of persons report by the United States government. But this year, however, the report downgraded Liberia to the Tier 2 Watch List.
Liberia is also said to be a transit center in West Africa for human trafficking.
The Cameroonian woaman, Madam Njuakom told the Police that her boyfriend, Gerald Ajongowe, came in to Liberia three months ago with the hope of traveling to Canada.
But their Liberian agent only identified as “Amandu” asked that they wait because there is no opportunity or Canada at the time.
She said that while waiting in Liberia for an opening in Canada, her boyfriend communicated with three (two male and a female) back home in Cameroon informing them that Liberia was a cheaper transit point to get to Europe and the Americas.
The Cameroonian woman also explained that when the three got in Monrovia, she and her boyfriend took a room on 24th street where they kept them while their agent (Amandu) was working on the necessary documents for their travel to Mexico and Poland at the cost of US$2,500.00 per person.
She said that confusion broke out when her boyfriend who is currently out of the country, demanded from the victims US$3,500.00 each instead of the amount of US$2,500.00 earlier requested by agent Amandu.
As a result, she said that some concerned Liberians intervened and call in security officers.
The suspected Cameroonian human trafficker is currently being held by the LNP for further investigations while the victims are now in the Safe-Home of the National Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce of Liberia.