The Oyo State Police Command has busted a human trafficking network operating out of Ibadan, the state capital.

During a coordinated raid, officers rescued 83 adults and one child from a property in the Orogun area, where they had allegedly been confined for an unknown duration.

Initial findings indicate that the victims — said to be from the Democratic Republic of Congo — were deceived into traveling to Nigeria with false promises of employment.

Authorities also revealed that the traffickers reportedly extorted large sums of money, mostly in U.S. dollars, from the victims’ families as part of the elaborate scam.

The rescued victims are currently being housed at the Police Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, as investigations continue to uncover the full extent of the operation.