NAPTIP RESCUES 25 VICTIMS IN ABUJA HEADING TO THE MIDDLE EAST
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BY OWOLABI OLUWADARA
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has successfully disrupted organized human trafficking operations and rescued 25 women believed to be victims of labor exploitation while en route to Saudi Arabia.
In a press release issued by NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, on Monday, the Agency indicated that the operation was part of a robust effort to dismantle trafficking syndicates that specialize in the recruitment and transportation of Nigerians to Middle Eastern nations.
According to the statement, the unsuspecting victims were apprehended outside a well-known hotel in Wuse II, Abuja, where they had assembled while awaiting their trafficker.
The Agency also remarked that it has initiated a manhunt for a notable travel agency suspected of playing a significant role in the recruitment of these victims.
The Agency clarified that the operation marks a continuation of renewed surveillance efforts and monitoring in key state capitals throughout the nation.
It noted that NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, recently directed operatives to heighten monitoring efforts in light of an increase in trafficking activities targeting vulnerable individuals from isolated villages and communities.
The statement further added that this directive complements enhanced collaboration with allied law enforcement agencies and partners along identified red-flag routes.
During questioning, the victims, aged between 17 and 43 years, reported that they were recruited from Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina States under the pretense of employment opportunities in Saudi Arabia as domestic workers.
One victim shared: “Some individuals came to our village and informed my parents that they would assist me in traveling overseas to work as a house help in Saudi Arabia. They assured us that the job there would provide a good salary, enabling us to care for our parents and families. They instructed us to wait here for them so they could provide us with the travel documents and the necessary instructions on how to proceed.
“They have not provided us with any documents, such as an International Passport or a visa, and we are concerned that none of them have come to assist us as they promised. ”
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