The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on human trafficking syndicates, warning traffickers to prepare for tougher enforcement measures.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja to flag off activities marking the 2025 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, said the agency is scaling up surveillance, coordination, and enforcement efforts to disrupt trafficking networks operating across borders and online platforms.
“It will be very challenging for human traffickers in the country from now,” Bello declared. “We shall increase our coordination mechanisms to empower all state and non-state actors to detect and report cases of human trafficking anywhere in the country.”
She revealed that NAPTIP had strengthened its cybercrime squad, integrating it into the joint cybercrime task force under the Federal Ministry of Justice, in a move aimed at tackling online exploitation more effectively.
The agency, she added, is also deepening collaboration with intelligence and security agencies to enhance surveillance, rescue operations, and interception of trafficking activities.
Bello identified emerging trends in trafficking that have made the crime more complex and dangerous, including:
- Fake job and scholarship offers
- Online loan scams leading to sexual exploitation
- Organ harvesting
- Baby factories
- Use of social media to lure and trap victims
She also highlighted the increasing recruitment of youths into online scams and the growing prevalence of sextortion and revenge porn across Nigeria and West Africa.
“Traffickers now disguise their operations as legitimate offers or services, making detection more difficult,” she noted.
Despite these challenges, Bello said NAPTIP is making progress through its five-point strategy focused on prevention, protection, policy, partnership, and prosecution. The agency has continued awareness campaigns, victim rehabilitation, and expanded collaboration with both local and international partners to ensure traffickers face justice.
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Cheikh Toure, Country Representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), reaffirmed the organisation’s support for Nigeria.
“Human trafficking is not an incidental crime it is a calculated, transnational enterprise exploiting the vulnerable,” Toure said. He called for coordinated cross-border action to dismantle criminal networks and protect victims.
He noted that trafficking thrives in underserved communities, border regions, and among marginalised youths, urging more grassroots-level intervention.
Esther Michael Sawa, who represented the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the UN’s support for NAPTIP is rooted in shared values.
“It is a partnership grounded in respect, accountability, and a shared vision of a world where every individual is protected,” she said.
