NAPTIP warns traffickers pose as NGOs to exploit vulnerable communities and traffic children

Vincent Adekoye, Head of Press and Public Relations for NAPTIP, stated that traffickers exploit communities affected by insecurity, such as those experiencing farmer-herder conflicts, by impersonating representatives of non-governmental organizations and offering assistance. They approach distressed communities under the guise of running educational and humanitarian programs, promising to send children to school under fake projects, and then traffic them. NAPTIP recently rescued four children in Onitsha, Anambra State, who had been trafficked from Kajuru in Kaduna State in 2023.

The agency plans to profile CSOs, particularly community-based and faith-based organizations in vulnerable areas, to prevent criminal elements from exploiting their credibility. NAPTIP has recovered 118 children trafficked from Nasarawa, Benue, and three other North-Central states. Adekoye urged Nigerians to be vigilant and report suspicious activities.

NAPTIP has also noted a technology-driven dimension to human trafficking, with traffickers using social media to recruit young Nigerians with promises of lucrative jobs in Asian countries. The agency recently rescued 16 young Nigerian men from Thailand who were lured with attractive job offers, with the recruitment pro