In a deliberate effort to combat the activities of suspected trans-border criminal syndicates operating within Nigeria and other West African countries, combined operatives from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) have arrested three key individuals believed to be part of an organized transnational human trafficking network.
According to a statement by NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, the coordinated operation was carried out in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Osun, and Nasarawa States, targeting specific cells and key figures within the network. The raid led to the successful rescue of 20 victims who were trafficked from Equatorial Guinea and Togo into Nigeria for various forms of labour exploitation.
Following the directive of the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, the agency intensified surveillance efforts around Nigeria’s border communities to track and dismantle the operations of suspected foreign criminal syndicates. Adekoye said collaboration with sister law enforcement agencies was also reinforced to curtail the unlawful activities of these traffickers.
During preliminary interviews, the victims revealed that they were lured by members of the syndicate with false promises of lucrative jobs in Nigeria, supposedly en route to other destinations in Europe. Upon arrival, however, they were subjected to exploitative labour practices.
In a related development, NAPTIP, in partnership with the Nigerian Embassy in Senegal, has successfully rescued a Nigerian woman trafficked to Dakar. According to Adekoye, the victim—whose identity was withheld—arrived safely at the NAPTIP Lagos Command in Ikeja after narrowly escaping death at the hands of traffickers in a remote Senegalese village.
She had been deceived into believing she would work as a hair stylist and make-up artist. Upon arrival, she discovered that her employer, referred to as “Madam Rose,” was involved in child and sex trafficking. When the victim refused to comply with prostitution demands, her identification documents were seized, and she was thrown out, left stranded and unable to return home.
“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,” a relative of the victim said in a petition submitted to the agency.
NAPTIP quickly reached out to the Nigerian Embassy in Dakar and other relevant partners to facilitate her rescue.
Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, described the success of both operations as proof of the growing synergy between NAPTIP and other national law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
She stated, “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. As soon as they arrive in Nigeria, they are exploited and stripped of all means of identification, cut off from communication, and left at the mercy of these traffickers.”
She assured that such operations would continue nationwide to eliminate the operations of these criminal syndicates.
“I want to sincerely thank the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, for his sustained support to NAPTIP, as well as the operatives of both agencies, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and other stakeholders who made this operation a success,” she added.
Commenting on the rescued victim from Senegal, Bello described her case as particularly heartbreaking.
“She is a graduate of one of Nigeria’s top universities and a mother of one. She was lured by a recruiter who appeared like a saviour. Promised a hair stylist job with attractive pay, she ended up in a human trafficking ring. She is lucky to be alive, though severely traumatized,” she said.
NAPTIP has since commenced a manhunt for the trafficker, “Madam Rose,” and has contacted law enforcement partners in Senegal to facilitate her arrest.
The agency also acknowledged the support and cooperation of the Nigerian Embassy in Dakar for their crucial role in housing, feeding, and securing travel documentation for the victim.
NAPTIP further appreciated the Nigerian Immigration Service officials at the border who received the victim upon her return.
These coordinated efforts, the DG emphasized, underscore the power of effective inter-agency collaboration in addressing human trafficking. The recent rescue brings the total number of victims rescued and received from neighbouring countries by NAPTIP within the past week to 21.
