A joint security operation carried out by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has uncovered a transnational human trafficking ring, leading to the arrest of three suspects and the rescue of 20 trafficked individuals.
The victims, who were brought into Nigeria from Equatorial Guinea and Togo, were reportedly lured under false promises and subjected to labour exploitation.
The operation, according to NAPTIP’s spokesperson Vincent Adekoye, was executed in the Federal Capital Territory, Osun, and Nasarawa states.
Adekoye revealed that the suspects were identified as members of a well-coordinated trafficking network operating across multiple states in Nigeria.
He added that the crackdown followed a directive from the Director-General of NAPTIP, Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello, instructing heightened monitoring around border communities.
“This operation was aimed at dismantling organised trafficking cells that exploit innocent individuals by deceiving them with offers of high-paying jobs,” Adekoye explained.
He said that once the victims entered Nigeria, their identification documents were seized, and they were coerced into exploitative labour conditions rather than the opportunities they had been promised.
In another development, NAPTIP, with support from the Nigerian Embassy in Senegal, rescued a Nigerian woman who had been trafficked to Senegal.
The victim, who arrived at NAPTIP’s Lagos office after a distressing ordeal, recounted how she was misled by a recruiter who promised her employment as a hairdresser and makeup artist.
Upon arrival in Senegal, she discovered her employer—identified as ‘Madam Rose’—was involved in child and sex trafficking. After resisting pressure to engage in prostitution, her documents were confiscated, and she was abandoned in the remote town of Kidira.
Adekoye said the victim, a university graduate and single mother, faced psychological torment and was at risk of a breakdown before she was rescued.
Responding to the developments, NAPTIP Director-General Adamu-Bello praised the teamwork between Nigerian security and diplomatic agencies, noting that such cooperation is critical to tackling cross-border crimes.
“This operation marks the beginning of intensified action against trafficking networks that operate across our borders,” she stated.
“These traffickers deceive victims from neighbouring countries, seize their documents, isolate them, and exploit them in different ways.”
She emphasized that efforts to dismantle such criminal groups would continue nationwide.
The NAPTIP boss expressed gratitude to the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, as well as the Office of the National Security Adviser and immigration officials for their contributions to the operation.
Adamu-Bello also disclosed that a search has begun for the trafficker known as ‘Madam Rose’, with other security agencies involved in tracking her down.
She reaffirmed NAPTIP’s resolve to ensure that all traffickers are prosecuted.
According to her, a total of 21 victims have been rescued from trafficking operations in neighbouring countries over the past week.
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