Thursday, October 2, 2025 - Five suspected human traffickers have been arrested by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The spokesperson of the agency, Vincent Adekoye, who
disclosed this to newsmen, said NAPTIP Director General, Binta Adamu Bello led
the special operation where 24 human trafficking victims were also rescued.
Adekoye mentioned that an unnamed retired senior security
officer was among the arrested suspects. He said the high-profile suspect was
allegedly said to be a prominent member of the trafficking syndicate operating
within the South-West states.
NAPTIP said the latest raid followed a tip-off from
concerned stakeholders and partners who alerted the agency on influx of
suspected human trafficking victims at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport,
and the unwholesome activities of some suspected traffickers.
“At the end
of nearly 6 hours of operation, the human trafficking activities were
completely disrupted, leading to the arrest of five suspected traffickers and
the rescue of 24 suspected victims,” Adekoye said in the statement.
Adekoye mentioned that the victims, whose ages range between
15 years to 26 years were recruited from Kano, Kastina, Oyo, Ondo and Rivers
States.
“The victims
were heading to Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan” he
explained
Adekoye said while a good number of the victims could not
communicate in any other language apart from their local dialect, others do not
even know their intended country of destination.
“They told
my mother that they are taking me to Europe, where I will work and earn
dollars. My parent were happy and they allowed me to follow them”, one of them
said
One of the victims vowed to ensure the prosecution of her
father for deceiving her into embarking on the journey.
“I struggled
to hold my emotions while watching the video of those girls who were being
maltreated and beaten by the traffickers. If that is what awaits me there, I
will not go. I am seriously annoyed with my father because he deceived me.''
she said
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