1.10.2025
A young woman among 24 victims of human trafficking rescued by National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has vowed to sue her dad who allegedly lured her into the ring.
NAPTIP rescued the 24 victims already process and waiting for transportation to Iraq after a tip off at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
“My father told me that his friend has a job for me at a supermarket in Baghdad. He did not tell me that it is in Iraq,” the lady told NAPTIP officials.
“I know that Iraq is not a good place to work for now due to the crisis there, but I did not know that Baghdad is in Iraq. I thank the DG and her officers for rescuing me.” the victim said.
NAPTIP director-general, Binta Bello who led the special operation team to the airport disclosed one of the ring-leaders of the human traffickers was a retired senior uniformed officer with one of the foremost law enforcement agencies in Nigeria. He allegedly operates from the Southwest region of Nigeria.
“We observed that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is becoming a comfort zone for these traffickers, and that is why we have decided to shift attention to this airport,” said Ms. Bello.
“We will sustain this raid until they stop this unpatriotic and illicit trade in human beings.”
“We were able to arrest five suspected members of the trafficking gang who have been recruiting and trafficking our citizens to various tension-soaked countries, especially in the Middle East, for exploitation.
“I was amazed that a father, who is a retired law enforcement officer of senior cadre, deceived his daughter and packaged her to be trafficked to Iraq for exploitation.
“This is incredibly unbelievable. All of them will be thoroughly investigated, and they will face the law.”
Bello explained that the victims, whose ages range between 15 and 26 years, were recruited from Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ondo, and Rivers States, and were heading to Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan.
NAPTIP rescued victims...