Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr Binta Adamu Bello, OON, has described human trafficking as a direct and visible threat to Nigeria’s national development.
She made this known on Thursday during a press conference in Abuja to commence a weeklong campaign marking the 2025 World Day Against Human Trafficking.
Speaking on the theme, “Human Trafficking is Organised Crime – End the Exploitation,” Bello drew attention to the deepening connection between human trafficking and organised criminal networks.
She explained that traffickers increasingly exploit migration routes, digital platforms, economic loopholes, and global supply chains to move victims across borders.
According to her, the agency has observed troubling new patterns in human trafficking across Nigeria and West Africa. These include fake job and scholarship schemes used to lure young people, recruitment into online fraud (popularly known as Yahoo-Yahoo), sextortion and revenge pornography, baby factories, and illegal organ harvesting.
She added that some women are deceived into taking online loans and later coerced into prostitution to repay them.
Bello said the agency is bolstering its cybercrime unit, collaborating with the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime under the Federal Ministry of Justice, and strengthening ties with other security and intelligence agencies to trace and apprehend traffickers.
“In the months ahead, traffickers will face heightened pressure as NAPTIP expands cooperation with state and non-state actors to improve detection and reporting of trafficking cases,” she said.
Activities marking the World Day Against Human Trafficking will include a sensitisation walk across the Federal Capital Territory and NAPTIP offices nationwide on Monday, July 28. The National Stakeholders Consultative Forum, the week’s central event, is scheduled for Wednesday, July 30, bringing together experts, survivors, government officials, and development partners.
Bello acknowledged the backing of key development partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), the European Union, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Switzerland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, and Leadway Assurance.
UNODC Country Representative Mr Cheikh Toure reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to Nigeria’s anti-trafficking efforts, describing human trafficking as a calculated, profit-driven crime that exploits the most vulnerable.
He praised NAPTIP’s leadership and detailed UNODC’s ongoing support for Nigeria through EU, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Multi-Partner Trust Fund–funded projects.
Toure stressed that more must be done at the community level to empower vulnerable groups and prevent exploitation.
“Trafficking is a deliberate, transnational enterprise built on the vulnerability of women, children, and men,” he said. “We must dismantle these networks with coordinated cross-border action, strengthen justice systems, protect victims, and ensure perpetrators are held accountable. UNODC stands firmly with Nigeria to break criminal chains and secure a future where no Nigerian is bought or sold.”
Ms Esther Michael of the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reiterated the commitment to safeguarding society’s most at-risk members, stressing the importance of upholding human rights and ensuring traffickers face justice.
She pledged sustained collaboration in prevention, protection, and survivor support efforts, affirming that all Nigerians deserve safety and dignity.
