NAPTIP, DIA Bust Trafficking Ring: 20 Foreign Victims Rescued, 3 Arrested in Multi-State Operation

NAPTIP, DIA Bust Trafficking Ring: 20 Foreign Victims Rescued, 3 Arrested in Multi-State Operation

In a major crackdown on human trafficking, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in collaboration with the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), has arrested three suspects believed to be part of a transnational criminal network operating in Nigeria.

According to a statement released by NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, the joint operation was carried out across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Osun, and Nasarawa States. The coordinated effort led to the rescue of 20 foreign victims trafficked from Equatorial Guinea and Togo into Nigeria for various forms of labour exploitation.

The operation followed a directive by NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, to increase surveillance in border communities, amid concerns that cross-border trafficking syndicates had begun infiltrating Nigeria from neighbouring African nations.

In the statement, NAPTIP noted that closer collaboration with other law enforcement agencies and international partners was instrumental in dismantling the trafficking ring.

The rescued victims recounted how they were deceived by the traffickers with promises of lucrative jobs in Nigeria, only to be exploited and subjected to harsh labour conditions upon arrival.

Meanwhile, in a separate rescue effort, NAPTIP, in partnership with the Nigerian Embassy in Senegal, successfully repatriated a Nigerian woman trafficked to Dakar under false pretences.

The woman, who arrived at the NAPTIP Lagos Command in Ikeja, had endured a near-death experience after being trafficked by a woman she identified as “Madam Rose.”

Initially promised a job as a hairstylist and makeup artist, she discovered that her trafficker was involved in child and sex trafficking.

She was coerced into prostitution and later abandoned after refusing to comply. Her trafficker reportedly seized her identification documents, leaving her stranded and vulnerable in a remote village in Senegal.

A petition from her relative to NAPTIP read:

“She was left stranded somewhere in Kidira, Senegal. She reported that her trafficker is diabolical and has been tormenting her mentally and emotionally to the point where her sanity is at risk. She is extremely distressed, and we fear for her life.”

Following swift coordination between the Nigerian Embassy in Dakar and NAPTIP, the victim was rescued and brought safely back to Nigeria.

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Binta Adamu Bello praised the successful operations and attributed them to the strong collaboration between NAPTIP and key stakeholders.

“The operation was strategic and targeted at the transnational organized criminal elements that are now making Nigeria an attractive human trafficking destination. This is just the beginning of our planned onslaught on them. These unpatriotic individuals move from one neighbouring country to the other, deceiving victims with promises of gainful employment in Nigeria. As soon as they bring the victims to Nigeria, they subject them to various forms of exploitation after collecting all their means of identification and preventing them from having access to any form of communication. These operations will be a continuous exercise, and we are also focusing on other parts of the country to rid the nation of all activities of these criminal syndicates.”

She extended her gratitude to the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), along with other partners who supported the successful operation.