Dare Babalola
The Lagos Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has taken custody of 12 Nigerians rescued from a human trafficking network operating in Ghana.
The victims were returned to Nigeria through a collaborative operation involving the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana and multiple security and law enforcement agencies working across borders to combat trafficking.
According to a statement issued Tuesday by NAPTIP, the rescued group comprises nine teenage girls between the ages of 17 and 19, two adult males aged 22, and an infant.
The agency said initial findings indicated that the victims were lured out of Nigeria with promises of profitable employment opportunities in Ghana. However, upon arrival, they were allegedly exploited and forced into prostitution and cybercrime activities.
Speaking during the reception of the returnees, the Lagos Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mrs Agboko Comfort, represented by Omolara Ibrahim of the agency’s International and Intelligence Cooperation Unit, encouraged the victims to embrace the opportunity to begin a new phase of life.
She also commended the Nigerian High Commission and partner security agencies for facilitating the safe transfer and proper handover of the rescued individuals to NAPTIP.
The agency reiterated its determination to identify and prosecute those responsible for the trafficking operation, assuring that investigations had commenced to dismantle the criminal network behind the recruitment and movement of the victims.
Meanwhile, troops of the Nigerian Army have foiled another suspected trafficking attempt along the Seme border corridor in Badagry area of Lagos State.
Military authorities disclosed that soldiers on patrol in Ibereko intercepted suspected traffickers while they were transporting two young women toward the border for onward movement to Ghana.
The Army said preliminary investigations showed that the victims were allegedly being transferred to another member of the trafficking syndicate stationed around the border area before being moved out of the country.
Security operatives arrested several suspects during the operation, while another member of the group reportedly escaped and is currently being tracked.
The latest incidents come amid renewed efforts by security and anti-trafficking agencies to curb cross-border human trafficking and related crimes along Nigeria’s international borders.
