Agency Secures 93 Convictions, Rescues 120 Children

National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it secured 93 convictions of human traffickers and rescued over 120 trafficked children across the country in 2025, as it intensified efforts to dismantle trafficking networks nationwide.

The director-general of NAPTIP, Mrs Binta Adamu Bello, disclosed this yesterday at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja while reviewing its activities for 2025 and outlining strategic priorities for 2026.

Bello said the agency also intercepted more than 2,500 potential victims of human trafficking within the period under review.

According to her, the victims were deceived, recruited, or already being trafficked for various forms of exploitation within and outside Nigeria, with many of them rehabilitated after rescue.

She attributed the successes recorded in 2025 to a directive issued to all NAPTIP commands to scale up monitoring, vigilance and operational activities, which led to a significant increase in interceptions, rescues, prosecutions and convictions.

“The year 2025 was unpleasant for human traffickers in the country. We outsmarted the traffickers and their antics, and this resulted in the impressive number of convictions we recorded,” Bello said.

She described the 93 convictions secured in 2025 as remarkable, noting the complexity and resource demands involved in prosecuting and convicting a single trafficker.

The NAPTIP boss revealed that the agency went after several high-profile traffickers during the year, leading to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of many, while others remain under close surveillance.

“Among the high-profile traffickers were some popular operators of orphanages and care homes across the country whose alleged nefarious activities were busted, and over 120 suspected trafficked children were rescued,” she said.

Bello also disclosed that NAPTIP, working with international partners and other stakeholders, rescued more than 370 Nigerian victims of human trafficking from countries including Ghana, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.

Looking ahead, the Director-General warned traffickers that tougher times await them in 2026, as the agency has scaled up its operations to address emerging trends and evolving challenges in human trafficking.

She said NAPTIP would intensify collaboration with sister law enforcement agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to strengthen prevention, detection and prosecution efforts.

According to her, the agency will also deepen synergy with actors across the three tiers of government, including local governments through the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), to enhance grassroots surveillance and early detection of trafficking activities.

Bello added that NAPTIP would seek stronger engagement and support from the legislative arm at both the national and state levels, the executive arm through state governors and their spouses, and the judiciary to further strengthen the anti-trafficking framework.

She stressed that public awareness and enlightenment would remain a major focus in 2026, particularly in hard-to-reach communities and vulnerable rural areas, to reduce susceptibility to traffickers’ tactics and build community resistance.

“NAPTIP shall continue to go after human traffickers and make 2026 unbearable for them to operate in Nigeria through sustained awareness, enlightenment and prosecution,” she said.

Bello disclosed that just days into 2026, the agency had already secured the conviction of three human traffickers, warning that more arrests and convictions would follow unless perpetrators desist from their criminal activities.

NAPTIP is Nigeria’s lead agency for combating human trafficking and related offences, with responsibilities spanning prevention, protection of victims, prosecution of offenders and partnerships with local and international stakeholders.