Five suspected human traffickers have been arrested by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The spokesperson of the agency, Vincent Adekoye, who disclosed this to newsmen, said NAPTIP Director General, Binta Adamu Bello led the special operation where 24 human trafficking victims were also rescued.
Adekoye mentioned that an unnamed retired senior security officer was among the arrested suspects. He said the high profile suspect was allegedly said to be a prominent member of the trafficking syndicate operating within the South-West states.
NAPTIP said the latest raid followed a tip-off from concerned stakeholders and partners who alerted the agency on influx of suspected human trafficking victims at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, and the unwholesome activities of some suspected traffickers.
“At the end of nearly 6 hours of operation, the human trafficking activities were completely disrupted, leading to the arrest of five suspected traffickers and the rescue of 24 suspected victims,” Adekoye said in the statement.
Adekoye mentioned that the victims, whose ages range between 15 years to 26 years were recruited from Kano, Kastina, Oyo, Ondo and Rivers States.
“The victims were heading to Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan” he explained
Adekoye said while a good number of the victims could not communicate in any other language apart from their local dialect, others do not even know their intended country of destination.
“They told my mother that they are taking me to Europe, where I will work and earn dollars. My parent were happy and they allowed me to follow them”, one of them said
One of the victims vowed to ensure the prosecution of her father for deceiving her into embarking on the journey.
“I struggled to hold my emotions while watching the video of those girls who were being maltreated and beaten by the traffickers. If that is what awaits me there, I will not go. I am seriously annoyed with my father because he deceived me.” she said
