Tag: NAPTIP

The director-general of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Adamu Bello, has revealed some of the tactics deployed by human traffickers to lure victims.

The NAPTIP boss said traffickers lure victims through fake job opportunities and scholarships in some destination countries, and the recruitment of victims as marketing agents for some branded products to exploit them.

She added that some traffickers also recruit their victims through online loan schemes, baby factories, organ harvesting, and the recruitment of unsuspecting youths for online scams (yahoo-yahoo) within Nigeria, Ghana and some West African countries.

Bello, while lamenting that the trends were worrisome, called for joint efforts by all stakeholders to kick traffickers out of Nigeria.

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She disclosed this in Abuja at a press conference to commence the 2025 World Day Against Human Trafficking with the theme: “Human trafficking is organised crime – end the exploitation”.

Bello noted that organised criminal networks use migration flows, global supply chains, legal and economic loopholes, and digital platforms to facilitate cross-border trafficking at a massive scale.

On some of the trends by traffickers, she said: “The fight against human trafficking has continued to take new dimensions with emerging trends daily. This is coupled with a new destination and further exploitation of victims. Some of the disturbing trends that are on the increase are fake job opportunities and scholarships in some destination countries, recruitment of victims as marketing agents for some branded products to exploit them and recruitment of unsuspecting youths for Online scams (Yahoo-Yahoo) within Nigeria, Ghana and some West African countries.

“Online trafficking/sextortion, revenge porn in Nigeria and Ghana baby factory, organ harvesting and online loan scheme. The online loan scheme is a situation where the suspect uses social media handles to lure unsuspecting victims into accepting, but at the end of the day, compels them into prostitution in return for the loan. This is common in Nigeria, Ghana”.

She also revealed that the capacity of the Cybercrime Squad of the Agency has been strengthened to respond and address the growing trends of online recruitment and exploitation.

“Our resolve to tackle human trafficking in Nigeria is firm and unequivocal, and we shall continue to scale our strategies to outsmart the traffickers. It is our resolve to continue doubling our efforts to outsmart the tactics of the traffickers. In the coming months, it will be very challenging for human traffickers in the country.

“We shall increase our coordination mechanism to empower all state and non–state actors to detect and report issues of human trafficking anywhere in the country”, Bello said.

On the importance of curbing human trafficking, Bello explained that human trafficking threatens national development and weakens the foundation and pillars of any nation, with women and youth as the main targets.

“We must set aside any rivalry and join hands together and ensure the protection of Nigerians. Together, let us kick human traffickers out of Nigeria”.

The Country Representative of UNODC, Mr. Cheikh Toure who reaffirmed UNODC’s commitment to Nigeria in tackling human trafficking, said collective efforts were critical to end trafficking.

He said: “I reaffirm UNODC’s unwavering solidarity with the Nigerian people in confronting the scourge of human trafficking. Trafficking is not an incidental crime, but a calculated, transnational enterprise profiting from the vulnerability of our women, children, and men.

“As custodian of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC), UNODC stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the government of Nigeria. We must dismantle criminal networks through coordinated, cross-border action, strengthening justice, protecting victims, and holding perpetrators accountable.

“Policies alone cannot win this fight. Trafficking festers where vulnerability is highest in underserved communities, border regions, and among marginalised youth. We must redirect energy and resources to the grassroots: empowering local leaders, traditional institutions, and community networks. The frontline of this battle is where poverty and desperation are exploited.

“Human trafficking violates every principle of human dignity, destabilises societies, and undermines the rule of law. UNODC will deepen its partnership with Nigeria working with government, civil society, and survivors to shatter criminal empires, uplift victims, and build a future where no Nigerian is bought or sold.”

Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in collaboration with Caritas International and the Nigerian Police at the Ogoja Divisional Headquarters, have arrested two women in connection with a case of child trafficking in Cross River State.

The Nation gathered that the suspects, Paulina Banku Otu, a nurse at Ogoja General Hospital, and Regina Abuashia, a staff member of Ogoja Local Government Council, were apprehended following the disappearance of a two-year-old girl, Purity Lehi Sunday, on July 5, 2025, at Okuku Market in Yala Local Government Area.

According to police sources, intelligence efforts and cooperation between the joint investigation team and the child’s mother, Mrs. Maria Ogar, led to the safe recovery of the child. She was found unharmed and reunited with her family at the Ogoja Police Station.

Preliminary investigation revealed that both suspects have made statements linking them to the case. They have been transferred to NAPTIP’s office in Calabar for further interrogation and prosecution under applicable laws.

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Meanwhile, the Cross River State Police Command has cautioned the public against the spread of misleading videos on social media that misrepresent the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The Command warned that such content could disrupt public order and hinder the ongoing investigation.

The police called on bloggers, influencers, and content creators to adhere to responsible reporting standards and verify facts before sharing information online.

“The dissemination of unverified or sensational narratives not only misleads the public but may also have legal consequences,” the statement read.

The Command reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and intensifying efforts against child trafficking and related crimes across the state.

…warns against leaving children in custody of untrusted people 

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has successfully reunited a 5-year-old girl, Rahama Ibrahim, with her parents in Damaturu, Yobe State, after she was abducted months ago by a suspected child trafficker.

According to the agency, the suspect, a driver linked to criminal child theft activities, was intercepted and arrested in Abuja by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). Both the suspect and an accomplice have since been charged to court in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Friday by the agency’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, NAPTIP Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, cautioned parents against entrusting their children to casual acquaintances, unverified neighbours, or one-off service providers, stressing that such actions increase children’s vulnerability to trafficking and abduction.

The DG, represented by the Yobe State Commander of NAPTIP, Mr. Saleh Zakar, handed the child over to her family at the Government House in Damaturu.

Grateful for the agency’s efforts, the child’s father, Mallam Ibrahim, thanked NAPTIP for ensuring his daughter’s safety and providing her with care during the rescue process.

He said, “I thank the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Director General of NAPTIP, for assisting my family in taking very good care of my daughter, who was stolen from us. When I came here now and saw my daughter, I noticed she is very neat and well taken care of. I thank the DG and all other Officers of NAPTIP. This Agency is doing a great work, and I thank them very much”.

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The Yobe State Deputy Governor, Hon. Idi Barde Gubana, commended NAPTIP for its proactive counter trafficking activities and successful reintegration of the Child. 

He assured the Agency of the support of the Yobe State Government.

 The Director General while thanking the DSS for its sustained support and collaboration with the Agency, which culminated in the arrest of the suspect in Abuja, called on parents to ensure adequate care and protection for their children.

“I want to appeal to parents across the country to be vigilant and keep an eye on their children. It is very dangerous to keep your children in the care of strangers who come your way casually. Parent should also desist from sending their children on errands unaccompanied or a lonely road in the odd hours. 

“On our part, we shall continue to ensure the protection of Nigerian children, and we thank all our partners who have continued to support our work.”

Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Katsina State Command, have arrested three suspected members of inter–state human trafficking syndicates who specialise in recruiting, harbouring and trafficking young girls from other parts of the country to the northern region for sexual exploitation.

The suspects were arrested in a prominent hotel in Katsina town with three suspected victims of human trafficking who were rescued during the raid.

The Manager of the hotel and two other workers were arrested.

According to a statement on Wednesday by the Press Officer of NAPTIP, the victims who are between the ages of 21 to 26 years are from Benue and Rivers State.

The Agency stated that a preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were believed to be the major suppliers of victims to brothels, notorious centres, and some neighbouring countries.

Report by the Agency shows that the rescued victims were found in a small room located within the hotel complex, while the traffickers were in another well-furnished room within the same compound, relishing the proceeds of the exploitation.

The victims claimed that they were deceived, recruited, and trafficked to Katsina with a promise of a legitimate job, only to be forced into prostitution against their will.

Narrating their experience, one of the victims said: “I was brought here by a woman, she promised to give us a job and that we would be paid very well. I asked her the details of the job, but she said I will know the nature of the job when I get here. When we got here, she introduced us to prostitution, which was not part of what they told us before.

“We sleep with at least 20 men a day, and all the money we get goes to the chairlady of the place, Amarachi. We have no choice but to sleep with 20 men a day. Even when we are on our monthly period, we are being forced to sleep with the same number of men. Even when we are sick or tired, they will force us to sleep with them.

“They said it is not their business to know how we feel, but to engage in prostitution. They give us a fearless energy drink each to take every evening so that we can have energy to work, be awake to sleep with the men, and get money for them.

“They take all the money we make and leave us to feed ourselves”.

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The victims further disclosed that the traffickers, in addition to taking their money so that they would not be able to escape, also paid some men to keep an eye on them.

The Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, expressed worry over the activities of some hotels and centres across the country that harbour victims of human trafficking, saying that the hotel in question shall be sanctioned in line with the provisions of the trafficking law.

“I wish to commend the Operatives of NAPTIP in Katsina for the raid and rescue of the victims. Their stories are painful and sad.

“They were deceived, recruited, trafficked, and forced into prostitution. While they are facing horror every day from prostitution, their traffickers were somewhere within the same hotel, feeding on the proceeds of the exploitation.

“It is also important to reiterate our earlier warning about operators of hotels aiding and abetting the exploitation of victims of human trafficking in their facilities. We have commenced a legal process to determine the next execution order for the hotel. The law shall definitely take its course”.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) have arrested three suspects believed to be members of an organised criminal network operating in Nigeria.

NAPTIP noted that the well-coordinated operation, which was carried out in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Osun and Nasarawa states, targeting the criminal cells and their kingpins, led to the rescue of 20 victims trafficked from the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and Togo to Nigeria for various forms of labour exploitation.

The agency, in a statement by its Press Officer Vincent Adekoye yesterday, stated that following the directive of the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, the agency increased surveillance within border communities across the country to halt the activities of some suspected crime syndicates who are believed to have infiltrated Nigeria from certain African countries.

The agency also added that it strengthened collaboration with sister law enforcement agencies and partners to halt the unwholesome activities of the criminal gangs.

The victims, according to the statement by the agency, said they were deceived by members of the syndicate with promises of high-paying jobs in Nigeria, while they processed documentation for onward journeys to different locations in Europe.

Contrary to the promises made to them, they were subjected to sundry labour exploitation upon arrival in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, NAPTIP, in partnership with the Nigerian Embassy in Senegal, has rescued a middle-aged Nigerian victim of human trafficking from Dakar.

The unnamed victim arrived at the NAPTIP Lagos Command, Ikeja, after a close shave with death in the hands of mindless traffickers in one of the remote villages of Senegal.

According to the agency, she was deceived into travelling to Senegal with promises of a job as a hairstylist and make-up artist, only to discover that there was more, as her boss, whom she referred to as ‘Madam Rose’, was into the business of child/sex trafficking.

She was forced into prostitution and when she refused to comply, her employer confiscated her identification documents and threw her out, leaving her unable to move freely or return home.

In a petition by her relation to the Agency, it was stated: “She was left stranded somewhere in Kidira, Senegal.

“She reported that her trafficker is diabolical and has been tormenting her mentally and emotionally to the point where her sanity is at risk.

“She is extremely distressed, and we fear for her life”.

The Agency immediately reached out to the Nigerian Embassy in Dakar and other relevant partners, and she was immediately rescued and brought to Nigeria.

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The NAPTIP boss attributed the successful operations that led to the rescue of all the victims and arrest of the suspects to the synergy between the agency and other relevant authorities in Nigeria.

She said: “The operation was strategic and targeted at the transnational organized criminal elements that are now making Nigeria an attractive human trafficking destination.

“This is just the beginning of our planned onslaught on them. These unpatriotic individuals move from one neighbouring country to the other, deceiving victims with promises of gainful employment in Nigeria.

“As soon as they bring the victims to Nigeria, they subject them to various forms of exploitation after collecting all their means of identification and preventing them from having access to any form of communication.

“These operations will be a continuous exercise, and we are also focusing on other parts of the country to rid the nation of all activities of these criminal syndicates.”

She thanked the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, for his sustained support to NAPTIP in its activities, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for providing the necessary platform for strengthening inter-agency collaboration in Nigeria, and all other stakeholders who assisted in the operation.”

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has expressed confidence that with continued sensitisation of the public, the tide of human trafficking in Delta would drop significantly.

The Commander, NAPTIP Benin Zonal Command, Mr Sam Offiah, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Asaba.

He spoke after sensitising and inaugurating the Students Vanguard at the Osadenis High School and West End Mixed Secondary school, in Asaba.

Offiah said the NAPTIP would continue to monitor and sensitise the 10 schools inaugurated in Delta, including the students, teachers and the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) among other stakeholders on issues of human trafficking.

According to him, the tide of human trafficking in Delta will drop because the traffickers are now aware that it is no longer business as usual for them in the state.

He said that the NAPTIP and Delta State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking and Irregular Migrations aimed at bringing down the statistics which placed Delta at third place in terms of human trafficking ranking.

Offiah said that the task force was on ground to nip the crime in the bud, and expressed belief that the menace would be minimised in the near future.

He lauded the responses and the supports from the students, principals, teachers and all the stakeholders during the first phase of the sensitisation programme in the 10 selected school in the state.

“We have successfully inaugurated 30 students in each of the 10 secondary schools as Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Persons Vanguard in Delta, ‘’ he said.

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Offiah expressed satisfaction for setting up the students vanguard, saying that programme was achieved in collaboration with the ICMPD, (International Centre for Migration Policy Development) and the support of the Delta State Ministry of Education.

The Zonal commander urged the vanguards to live above board, shun peer group pressure to make money illegally and avoid being victims of trafficking, adding that the first phase of the project had ended.

He also urged them not to allow themselves to be deceived, but to study their books and develop themselves.

Offiah appealed to the students to become ambassadors of NAPTIP and urged the teachers and all stakeholders to assist in fighting the crime as the agency would not do it alone.

Speaking also, Mrs Ijoma David-Ukoko, Project Officer, School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP/ICMPD, stated that the STEAP, collaborating with NAPTIP and Delta State Taskforce and Ministry of Education would reduce trafficking.

She urged the students to sensitise their families, friends and associates and to work together with NAPTIP to eliminate human trafficking in the state.

Also Mr Mackeans Eze, Deputy Director, Ministry of Education, charged the students to be guided and to speak out whenever they notice any form of trafficking or violence in the school, home or their environment.

He pledged the ministry’s commitment to sustain the students vanguard and sensitisation against human trafficking in the state.

According to him, Delta is number three in Human trafficking index in Nigeria.

He said that with the ongoing campaign, the students, as the most vulnerable group, had been sensitised to resist the traffickers and expose them.

Mrs Ijoma Nwanze, Secretary, Delta State Taskforce on Human Trafficking and Irregular Migrations, thanked NAPTIP for the schools sensitisation programme.

She said that the state government had been supportive as he had put laws in place to check and punish traffickers in the state.

(NAN)