The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested five suspected human traffickers, including a father who allegedly attempted to traffic his own daughter to Baghdad, Iraq.
The agency also rescued 24 victims during a special operation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
NAPTIP’s National Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, noting that the operation was led by the agency’s Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, following credible intelligence.
Among those arrested was a retired senior officer from a prominent law enforcement agency, who is alleged to be a key member of a trafficking syndicate operating within the South-West region.
“In a decisive and unprecedented crackdown, the DG led a high-powered operation that resulted in the dramatic rescue of 24 victims and the arrest of five suspected traffickers,” Adekoye stated. “The action, hailed by other travellers at the airport, is part of NAPTIP’s intensified efforts to dismantle recruitment hubs, trafficking spots, and routes across the country.”
The victims, aged between 15 and 26, were recruited from Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ondo, and Rivers states, and were destined for Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan.
One of the victims alleged that her father deceived her into believing she had secured a supermarket job abroad, only to discover she was being trafficked to Iraq.
“I am seriously annoyed with my father because he deceived me. He told me his friend got me a job in Baghdad but did not say it was in Iraq. I know Iraq is not safe, and if that is what awaits me, I will not go,” she said, vowing to ensure her father faces prosecution.
Another victim revealed that her mother was misled into thinking she would be travelling to Europe to work and earn in dollars.
Reacting, the NAPTIP DG expressed sadness over the activities of traffickers and unregistered recruiters.
“I am impressed with the outcome of the operation today because we were able to arrest five members of a gang that has been trafficking Nigerians to tension-soaked countries, especially in the Middle East, for exploitation,” Bello said.
This development comes weeks after PUNCH Metro reported that NAPTIP intercepted 25 women in Abuja who were being trafficked to Saudi Arabia for labour exploitation.
