The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it has rescued and supported 28,762 victims of human trafficking and secured 857 convictions since its establishment.
NAPTIP Director-General Binta Adamu-Bello disclosed this at the opening of the 29th National Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Human Trafficking in Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.
Adamu-Bello said the agency recorded 1,508 cases of human trafficking and related offences between August 2025 and November 2026, leading to 1,434 arrests.
She said 52 per cent of those arrested were male and 48 per cent female. During the period, the agency received and rehabilitated 2,700 victims.
According to her, children accounted for 48 per cent of the victims and adults 52 per cent. Females made up 72 per cent of the victims, while males accounted for 28 per cent.
The NAPTIP director-general said the agency filed 65 cases involving 85 accused persons and secured 74 convictions involving 97 offenders during the period.
She explained that the convictions included cases filed before the previous stakeholders’ forum in 2025.
Adamu-Bello said the figures reflected the agency’s sustained efforts to strengthen investigations, prosecutions, victim protection and rehabilitation, as well as collaboration with relevant institutions and international partners.
She said NAPTIP had intensified intelligence gathering and surveillance to identify and disrupt trafficking networks operating offline and online, with particular attention to deceptive online recruitment and cyber-enabled trafficking.
The director-general said the agency had also strengthened support for survivors through psychosocial counselling, vocational training, family tracing and reunification, legal assistance and economic empowerment.
She said NAPTIP had established a new state command in Kogi, leaving Delta as the only state without an operational presence.
Adamu-Bello appealed to the Delta Government to facilitate the establishment of a NAPTIP command in Asaba. She cited operational costs and delays in responding to emergencies under the existing arrangement with the Benin Zonal Command.
She also disclosed that Abia had established a new State Task Force on Human Trafficking, bringing the number of states with such structures to 25.
The director-general said the National Human Trafficking Dashboard continued to support monitoring of the National Action Plan on Human Trafficking (2022–2026), improve reporting and strengthen accountability among implementing institutions.
She said the 29th forum was significant because the current National Action Plan would conclude in December 2026. Stakeholders would assess its implementation and develop a new framework for 2027 to 2031.
In his address, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi urged state governments to take greater responsibility for combating human trafficking by strengthening state task forces and adequately funding anti-trafficking programmes.
Fagbemi, represented by Haliru Kabiru, Acting Director of the Citizenship Rights Department at the Federal Ministry of Justice, said the fight against trafficking should not be left to the Federal Government alone.
He said no state was immune to human trafficking, adding that young Nigerians continued to fall victim to trafficking networks that exploited their vulnerabilities and aspirations.
The minister urged ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to fulfil their mandates, share relevant information and submit timely, accurate reports to strengthen national coordination.
He also called for stronger collaboration with technology companies, telecommunications operators, financial institutions and digital service providers to prevent traffickers from exploiting their platforms.
Fagbemi said the next National Action Plan should include measurable targets, clear institutional responsibilities, adequate funding, and effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
He identified four expected outcomes of the forum: an evidence-based assessment of the outgoing plan, identification of implementation gaps, practical recommendations to improve coordination, and agreement on priorities for the 2027–2031 framework.
Also speaking, UNODC Country Representative Cheikh Touré, represented by Williams Shiyin-Wu, UNODC Nigeria’s Operations Manager, called for improved data management and stronger coordination between national and state institutions.
Touré said reported trafficking cases represented only a fraction of the actual problem, underscoring the need for proactive identification, research and community engagement.
He said UNODC would continue to support Nigeria in strengthening institutional cooperation, harmonising data systems and building the technical capacity of stakeholders involved in investigating and prosecuting trafficking offences.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission Dimanche Sharon, represented by Chibalami Katongo, a protection officer, said the organisation had supported the safe and dignified return of more than 8,200 trafficking victims since 2017, in collaboration with NAPTIP.
Sharon said women and girls accounted for 88 per cent of the returnees, while about 5,500 survivors had benefited from economic, social and psychosocial reintegration assistance, including skills development, healthcare and income-generating opportunities.
She stressed that survivors required sustained support after their return, adding that effective reintegration depended on government institutions, civil society organisations, families and communities working together.
The IOM chief reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting NAPTIP, state task forces and other stakeholders in reviewing the outgoing National Action Plan and developing the 2027–2031 framework.
The forum brought together representatives of federal and state governments, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to review Nigeria’s anti-trafficking interventions and strengthen the national response to human trafficking.
