National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has arrested five suspected human traffickers and rescued 24 victims in a major trafficking operation at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Director-General of the agency, Binta Adamu Bello led the raid yesterday after receiving intelligence about the arrival of suspected traffickers and their victims at the airport.
In a statement issued after the operation, NAPTIP’s spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye revealed that a retired senior security officer, who is considered a prominent member of the trafficking syndicate, was among those arrested.
The statement revealed that the syndicate is believed to have been recruiting from several states in the South West.
According to Adekoye, the operation lasted almost six hours, during which the suspected traffickers were rounded up and 24 victims rescued.
“The victims, mostly aged between 15 and 26, had been recruited from Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ondo and Rivers States. Their final destinations include Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Afghanistan,” the statement revealed.
Some of the victims told officials that they were deceived with promises of well-paying jobs abroad. One of them, who thought she was heading to Europe, said her parents encouraged her to accept the offer. Another victim, visibly shaken after watching awareness clips of stranded Nigerians abroad, accused her father of tricking her into the journey.
Bello condemned the increasing activities of illegal recruiters and traffickers who, she said, prey on the desperation of young Nigerians. She stressed that the agency would intensify surveillance not only at airports, but also in motor parks and coastal areas where traffickers often operate.
She vowed that all those arrested would be prosecuted, while the rescued victims would undergo rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.
