NAPTIP busts human trafficking ring, frees victims, arrests suspects in Abuja
Story by Susan Mbamah
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on Wednesday executed an operation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, in which five suspected traffickers were arrested and 24 victims rescued.
The raid, which lasted nearly six hours, followed a tip-off about human traffickers operating within the airport premises.
The victims, whose ages range between 15 and 26 years, were recruited from states including Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ondo, and Rivers. Some of them were destined for countries such as Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan.
According to NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, the Abuja airport has become a “comfort zone” for traffickers, prompting the agency to intensify its focus on the facility.
One of the arrested suspects, she revealed, is a retired senior officer of a Nigerian law enforcement agency, allegedly involved in a trafficking syndicate from the South-West.
READ ALSO: NAPTIP: Employer bathes 16-year-old with hot water in Abuja
Several victims told the rescuers they had been misled by promises of good jobs abroad. One said she was told she would work at a supermarket in Baghdad, unaware that it was in Iraq. Others said they were unaware of their actual destinations.
Many of the victims could only speak local dialects and did not know the foreign countries to which they were being trafficked. Some couldn’t even spell or name them.
In one case, a victim vowed to sue her father for deceiving her into being trafficked, pointing to grave familial betrayal.
The operation also saw coordination with sister agencies at the airport, including the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Department of State Services (DSS), immigration, and airline operators.
READ ALSO: NAPTIP rescues 12 female trafficking victims heading to Saudi Arabia
NAPTIP confirmed that the suspects and recovered victims were handed over to its headquarters for further investigation, profiling, and eventual prosecution.
Bello said the agency would sustain similar raids, pledging to “hunt the traffickers wherever they operate.”
She urged Nigerians to resist unscrupulous recruitment offers and warned unregistered agents and labour recruiters against perpetuating trafficking abuses.
While this success is significant, NAPTIP emphasises that the fight against human trafficking remains far from over, and that community vigilance is crucial.
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