By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 19 Apr 2012 • 8:23
MYSTERY surrounds the whereabouts of a teenage girl presumed to have arrived in Spain.
UK detectives suspect she may be a victim of human trafficking.
British media and authorities have said a search is underway, but enquiries made by Valencia Daily Levante-EMV on Friday, revealed exclusively to EWN, that Spanish authorities are not investigating and have no record of the missing teen.
Two Nigerian teenagers – both aged 15 – went missing on Good Friday on their way to church in West Sussex (England), according to Sussex Police
They are believed to have entered Spain, via Valencia airport after one of them was stopped for reportedly using a fake passport and flown back to the UK under the and “taken into the care of social services,” a Sussex Police spokeswoman said.
“However, the other girl remains unaccounted for and her whereabouts is unknown,” she added.
Detective Chief Inspector Adam Hibbert, of West Sussex CID told ITV he believes the two girls were “trafficked into the UK for onward transportation to somewhere in Europe.”
Joy Igaharo and Esohe Ida-Ogabono arrived to Britain unaccompanied from Nigeria in recent weeks, and it is believed they had not met before arriving in Sussex, according to police.
Police are refusing to say which girl is still missing for “operational reasons”.
“Our investigation is focusing on identifying where the other girl is and the circumstances of how they were trafficked and as a result we are working closely with the UK Border Agency, the UK Human Trafficking Centre, local authorities and the human trafficking unit of the Met,” said Mr Hibbert.
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