ABUJA – Five suspected human traffickers have been arrested by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
NAPTIP Director General, Binta Adamu Bello led the special operation on Wednesday where 24 human trafficking victims were also rescued.
NAPTIP’s spokesman, Vincent Adekoye said in a statement that an unnamed retired senior security officer was among the arrested suspects.
The high profile suspect was allegedly said to be a prominent member of the trafficking syndicate operating within the South-West states.
NAPTIP said the operation was a continuation of the newly unveiled anti-human trafficking efforts and onslaught against human trafficking by the DG, targeting recruitment hubs, trafficking spots, and routes within Nigeria.
Bello also ordered increased surveillance and monitoring of all parts of the country with greater attention on motor parks, waterways in the coaster states as well as international airports.
The latest raid followed a tip-off from concerned stakeholders and partners who alerted the agency on influx of suspected human trafficking victims at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, and the unwholesome activities of some suspected traffickers.
“At the end of nearly 6 hours of operation, the human trafficking activities were completely disrupted, leading to the arrest of five suspected traffickers and the rescue of 24 suspected victims,” Adekoye said in the statement.
He said the victims, whose ages range between 15 years to 26 years were recruited from Kano, Kastina, Oyo, Ondo and Rivers States.
“The victims were heading to Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan,” he explained.
Adekoye said while a good number of the victims could not communicate in any other language apart from their local dialect, others do not even know their intended country of destination.
“They told my mother that they are taking me to Europe, where I will work and earn dollars. My parent were happy and they allowed me to follow them”, one of them said.
One of the victims vowed to ensure the prosecution of her father for deceiving her into embarking on the journey.
This was after the DG counseled the victims and enlightened them with a series of video clips of some stranded Nigerians and those on life support after being exploited at the destination Countries.
The victim said, “I struggled to hold my emotions while watching the video of those girls who were being maltreated and beaten by the traffickers. If that is what awaits me there, I will not go. I am seriously annoyed with my father because he deceived me.
The NAPTIP DG expressed sadness over the activities of some suspected human traffickers and unregistered labour recruiters who have continued to deceive, recruit, and traffic Nigerians for various forms of exploitation.
“I am impressed with the outcome of the operation today because we were able to arrest five suspected members of the trafficking gang that have been recruiting and trafficking our citizens to various tension-soaked countries, especially in the Middle East, for exploitation,” the DG said.