NAPTIP, DIA Bust Human Trafficking Syndicate, Rescue 20 Foreigners

Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) have arrested three key individuals believed to be members of an organised criminal network operating in Nigeria, NAPTIP said in a press statement yesterday.

The operation led to the rescue of 20 victims trafficked from the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and Togo to Nigeria for various forms of labour exploitation.

NAPTIP did not mention the names of the suspects and their victims, but said the coordinated operation was carried out in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Osun and Nasarawa states, targeting the criminal cells and their kingpin.

The agency said it had increased surveillance within border communities across the country in a bid to halt the activities of crime syndicates which are believed to have infiltrated Nigeria from certain African countries.

NAPTIP noted that the victims said they were deceived by members of the syndicate with promises of high-paying jobs in Nigeria, while they processed documents for onward journeys to different locations in Europe. They were, however, subjected to sundry labour exploitation upon arrival in Nigeria.

The agency said it also rescued a Nigerian victim of human trafficking from Dakar in  partnership with the Nigerian Embassy in Senegal.

“The victim arrived at the NAPTIP Lagos Command, Ikeja, a few hours ago after a close shave with death in the hands of mindless traffickers in one of the remote villages of Senegal,” its spokesman, Vincent Adekoye, said.

Mr Adekoye said the victim was forced into prostitution. When she refused to comply, her employer confiscated her identification documents and threw her out, leaving her unable to move freely or return home.

Speaking on the development, director general of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, said the successful operations that led to the rescue of all the victims and arrest of the suspects were a reflection of the growing synergy with sister agencies in Nigeria.

The latest operation brought the total number of victims rescued and received from neighboring countries by NAPTIP in the past week to 21.