By ADEROGBA GEORGE

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has raised concerns over the growing use of digital platforms, fake job offers and online scams to recruit and exploit trafficking victims.

Director-General of NAPTIP, Hajiya Binta Adamu-Bello, said this on Wednesday in Abuja during a news conference ahead of the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

The global event, observed annually on July 30, has the theme: “Trapped Behind the Scam,” highlighting the increasing use of cyber-enabled fraud and online deception to facilitate human trafficking.

Adamu-Bello said traffickers were increasingly exploiting social media platforms, encrypted communication channels and fraudulent overseas employment opportunities to lure vulnerable individuals.

According to her, NAPTIP rescued more than 300 victims linked to cyber-enabled trafficking from neighbouring countries, including Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, in 2025.

She added that another 156 victims were rescued between January and July 2026 through operations carried out in collaboration with local and international partners.

The NAPTIP boss said the agency had also dismantled suspected trafficking-linked scam centres and secured 839 convictions since its establishment, including 47 convictions recorded in 2026.

She explained that the agency’s interventions were anchored on prevention, protection, policy, partnership and prosecution, supported by public awareness campaigns and rehabilitation services for survivors.

Adamu-Bello urged Nigerians to verify overseas job offers, avoid unofficial recruitment channels and promptly report suspicious activities to relevant authorities.

She also called for stronger collaboration among governments, development partners, the media and communities to address evolving trafficking trends driven by technology.

Also speaking, the Head of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfgruber, said criminal networks were becoming more sophisticated in exploiting digital platforms and vulnerable communities.

Wolfgruber said the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (PITOP) Strategy and Action Plan would strengthen NAPTIP’s interventions and improve state-level responses to trafficking.

She emphasised the need to expand safe and regular migration pathways while strengthening preventive measures and protection mechanisms for victims and migrants.

The First Secretary for Migration at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, Sib Siebesma, said stakeholder collaboration remained critical to combating human trafficking and related abuses.

Siebesma said the Netherlands continued to support programmes in Nigeria focused on victim protection, prosecution capacity, awareness creation and safe migration through partnerships with NAPTIP and development organisations.

He highlighted the Trafficking in Persons and Violence Against Persons (TIPVAP) project, implemented by ICMPD, as one of the initiatives supporting victim care, referral systems and awareness campaigns.

According to him, the Netherlands also supports migration governance, victim reintegration and anti-trafficking programmes through partnerships with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), UNODC and other agencies.

The Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria, Cheikh Toure, said combating trafficking required more than law enforcement interventions.

Toure said that traffickers increasingly targeted young people through deceptive online recruitment schemes, false employment promises and fraudulent opportunities abroad.

He called for greater investment in skills development, entrepreneurship and job creation to reduce vulnerability to trafficking, especially among young people and job seekers.

Toure reaffirmed UNODC’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in strengthening prevention, victim protection, investigations and criminal justice responses, while also recognising the media’s role in raising awareness and promoting survivor-centred reporting. (NAN)

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