NAPTIP Rescues 25 Saudi-Bound Women From Human Trafficking Syndicate
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 25 women believed to be victims of human trafficking while attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia for labour exploitation.
The victims, aged between 17 and 43, were intercepted on Monday by NAPTIP operatives in front of a popular hotel in Wuse II, Abuja, where they had gathered to meet their trafficker.
According to a statement by NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, the women were recruited from Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina States under the false promise of lucrative domestic jobs in the Middle East.
One of the victims told investigators:
“Some people came to our village and told my parents they would help me travel abroad to work as a housemaid in Saudi Arabia. They promised the job would pay well so I could support my family. They asked us to wait for them here for travel documents and instructions, but we were never given passports or visas. We became worried when no one came to attend to us.”
NAPTIP noted that many of the victims confessed it was their first time visiting Abuja and that they were stranded at the time of rescue.
Read Also:
The agency’s Director-General, Binta Bello, described the incident as a worrisome development, warning that Abuja is increasingly being used as a coordination hub for trafficking activities.
She said:
“I wish to alert our partners and stakeholders to a new modus operandi of human trafficking syndicates using the Federal Capital Territory as a muster point. A few months ago, we rescued victims from a hotel near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. Now, another 25 women have been intercepted. Unfortunately, these women fell for false promises without realising the exploitation and abuse awaiting them abroad.
“The good news is that we have successfully disrupted this trafficking process, and we are closing in on a travel agency whose name features prominently in the case.”
Bello also called on the Association of Recruiters, the Licensed Placement Agency of Nigeria, and other relevant regulatory bodies to step up oversight of their members, stressing that the exploitation of Nigerians abroad remains a grave concern to NAPTIP.
Meanwhile, the agency has launched a manhunt for a popular travel agency allegedly linked to the recruitment of the victims.
By PRNigeria
