The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has stepped up its fight against human trafficking, rescuing victims and securing convictions while warning that traffickers are increasingly using online platforms to recruit Nigerians.
The agency said it had rescued more than 3,000 people from critical situations since January 2026 and secured more than 20 convictions for sexual and gender-based violence offences, including three life sentences.
NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed this in Abuja, saying the agency had also strengthened collaboration with security agencies and expanded community awareness efforts.
The agency’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, had earlier disclosed that 156 victims of human trafficking were rescued between January and July 2026.
According to Bello, traffickers are increasingly using social media and fake job offers to lure young Nigerians with promises of employment in areas including technology, digital marketing, telecommunications and cryptocurrency.
Some victims, she said, are eventually forced into online criminal activities after being deceived by recruiters.
NAPTIP and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have also raised concerns about the growing use of technology in human trafficking, including the recruitment of victims into scam operations.
Sadly, the problem is not limited to Nigerians trafficked abroad.
In Katsina State, NAPTIP said it rescued 202 trafficking victims between January and July, comprising 147 females and 55 males. The agency said internal trafficking had become more common than international trafficking in the state.
NAPTIP has also urged members of the public, particularly transport operators, to remain alert and report suspected cases of trafficking.
The agency said its response is also focusing on prevention, victim protection and public education, including anti-trafficking programmes in secondary schools.
With traffickers increasingly turning to the internet to disguise exploitation as employment opportunities, NAPTIP faces the challenge of keeping pace with criminal networks that continue to adapt their methods.