The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has intensified its war against human trafficking with a major operation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, leading to the arrest of five suspected traffickers and the rescue of 24 victims.
According to Mediaplusng.com, the operation, personally led by the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, disrupted the activities of a suspected trafficking syndicate that has been targeting vulnerable Nigerians. Among those arrested was a retired senior law enforcement officer, accused of playing a key role in trafficking young victims from Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ondo, and Rivers States to countries including Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan.
Mediaplusng.com reports that the victims, mostly aged between 15 and 26 years, were misled with promises of high-paying jobs abroad. Many of them could not even identify their intended destinations. In a shocking twist, one of the rescued girls revealed that her own father, who was among those arrested, deceived her into believing she was traveling to work in a supermarket in Baghdad. “If this is what awaits me there, I will not go,” she said tearfully after watching videos of trafficked Nigerians suffering abuse abroad.
Speaking after the raid, the DG of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, vowed that the agency will sustain its crackdown on traffickers. She described the operation as a success and condemned the involvement of trusted figures, including parents, in luring victims into exploitation. “We will continue to hunt traffickers wherever they operate in Nigeria. This airport is now under close watch, and we will not stop until this unpatriotic trade ends,” she said. Bello also thanked the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), DSS, Immigration Service, and airline operators for their collaboration.
Mediaplusng.com notes that NAPTIP has been stepping up surveillance across airports, motor parks, and coastal routes to dismantle trafficking networks. The agency urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and support the fight against human trafficking, which continues to threaten lives and tarnish the country’s image.
