The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in collaboration with the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), has dismantled a transnational human trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects.
The joint operation also led to the rescue of 20 victims who were trafficked from Equatorial Guinea and Togo into Nigeria for various forms of labour exploitation.
This was disclosed in a statement by NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Mr. Vincent Adekoye, in Abuja.
According to the statement, the suspects are believed to be members of a well-organized criminal network operating within Nigeria and across its borders.
The coordinated operation was executed in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Osun, and Nasarawa States, and targeted key syndicate cells and ringleaders.
“The arrests followed a directive by the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu-Bello, to intensify surveillance in border communities across the country,” Adekoye stated.
He emphasized that the move aims to disrupt the activities of suspected criminal syndicates believed to have infiltrated Nigeria from other African nations.
Adekoye added that NAPTIP has reinforced partnerships with other law enforcement agencies to suppress the growing threat posed by these trafficking rings.
During interviews, the rescued victims revealed they had been lured with false promises of high-paying jobs in Nigeria. After processing travel documents for onward migration to Europe, they found themselves subjected to exploitative labour conditions upon arrival in Nigeria.
In a related development, NAPTIP, with support from the Nigerian Embassy in Senegal, also rescued a middle-aged Nigerian woman who was trafficked to Dakar.
The victim, who arrived at NAPTIP’s Lagos Command in Ikeja just hours before the announcement, recounted a harrowing experience after being deceived by a trafficker posing as a job agent. She had been promised employment as a hair stylist and makeup artist.
Upon arrival, she discovered that her trafficker—identified only as “Madam Rose”—was engaged in child and sex trafficking. The victim was coerced into prostitution and, after refusing, had her identification documents confiscated and was thrown out, leaving her stranded in a remote village in Kidira, Senegal.
“The trafficker is believed to be diabolical and subjected the victim to intense mental and emotional abuse, putting her sanity at risk,” Adekoye said.
Speaking on the developments, NAPTIP Director-General Binta Adamu-Bello said the arrests and rescues underscore the strengthening synergy between Nigerian law enforcement agencies.
“This operation was strategic, targeting transnational organized criminal networks that now see Nigeria as a hub for human trafficking,” she said.
“This is only the beginning. These unpatriotic individuals operate across multiple borders, luring victims with fake employment offers. Once in Nigeria, the victims are stripped of identification and subjected to cruel exploitation.”
She stressed that these operations will be sustained and expanded to other parts of the country to completely dismantle the trafficking syndicates.
The NAPTIP boss expressed gratitude to the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), for providing platforms for inter-agency collaboration.
Adamu-Bello also described the Senegal case as particularly heartbreaking. The victim, a university graduate and mother of one, was recruited under false pretenses.
“She was approached by a supposed ‘helper’ who offered her a lucrative salon job in Senegal. Unfortunately, she walked straight into a trafficking ring. She’s lucky to be alive, though deeply traumatized,” she noted.
NAPTIP has initiated a manhunt for “Madam Rose,” the trafficker, and has alerted sister agencies in Senegal and Nigeria to ensure her arrest.
The Director-General also appreciated the role of the Nigerian Immigration Service at the border for facilitating the victim’s safe return.
With the latest rescue, NAPTIP reports that a total of 21 victims have been rescued from neighboring countries in the past week alone.
