The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has blamed decades of economic hardship in Nigeria for the rising cases of migration and human trafficking.

Yilwatda stated this on Monday at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja during the public presentation of Vicious Red Circle, a novel by Ambassador Alex Ugochukwu Oriaku that highlights the realities of human trafficking in Nigeria.

He said the country’s prolonged economic decline had created conditions that make citizens vulnerable to traffickers.

“Our economic decay over four decades created fertile ground for exploitation. When industries collapsed and hope disappeared, migration and trafficking surged,” he said.

Recalling his experience as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Chairman of the African-European Migration and Development Team, Yilwatda said the problem was rooted in long-standing economic challenges.

He urged stakeholders to adopt community-driven and inclusive approaches to tackle human trafficking, stressing that the fight should not be left to government institutions alone.

“We can stop this cycle. This book challenges us to do so. It must not remain on your shelf — let it remain in your heart,” he said.

On his part, Ambassador Oriaku described human trafficking as “a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle of exploitation, vulnerability, and silence,” noting that his novel was written as a call to action rather than mere fiction.

The event, chaired by Yilwatda, was attended by lawmakers, heads of government agencies, and development partners, who all called for stronger collaboration to curb human trafficking in Nigeria.

Economic hardship fueling human trafficking in Nigeria – Yilwatda