Hot SourceMichael Olugbode in Abuja
Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Adamu Bello, has promised to scale up collaboration with state and non-state actors within the West African corridors with a view to clampdown on the human trafficking syndicates operating within the region.
The director general stated this in Lagos while receiving over 200 victims of human trafficking who were rescued by Ghanian Authorities through its Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO) in partnership the agency at the NAPTIP Lagos Command Office, Ikeja.
It will be recalled that in a letter addressed to the Director of NAPTIP by the Executive Director of the Economic and Organized Crimes Office, Ghana, Abdulai Bashiru Dapilah, titled “Request for Assistance to Screen Suspects of Human Trafficking for Possible Prosecution in Nigeria”, the Ghanian authorities disclosed that report indicated that “a gang of people suspected to be Nigerians were engaged in human trafficking and prohibited cybercrimes and related activities within Kumasi at Oyanfa, a suburb of Accra, Ghana.
“Out of approximately 50 houses in Kumsark Estate at Oyarifa, about 30 are occupied by the traffickers and their victims. The victims are mainly young men, some of whom are minors”.
“On Thursday April 17th, 2025, the Office conducted a search operation within the Kumsark Estate during which 20 houses were searched. A total of 231 Nigerians nationals were found comprising 227 males and four females with age ranging from 15 to 18 years”, the Ghana EOCO said.
Adamu who was represented by the Lagos State Commander of NAPTIP, Mrs. Comfort Agboko, disclosed that while a good number of the victims where trafficked for sexual exploitation, some of them were deceived, recruited and trafficked to Ghana and forced into cybercrimes.
She said: “We are seriously disturbed by the latest development which is gradually making Ghana and other neighbuoring countries, an epicenter of trafficking precisely cybercrime and other exploitation. We have commenced discussion with some of our sister law enforcement agencies in Ghana, Cote D’voire, Mali, Gambia and other countries within the African corridor, to restrategize and dismantle the emerging organizsed criminal gangs within the areas.
“This also involved a review of some of the existing Memoradum of Understanding (MOU), bilateral agreement and other legal instruments with a view to ensuring synergy and collateral response.
“At the moment, we shall commence the profiling of these returnees to ascertain their medical needs, their health status, the required skills and other basic variables in order to render to them victim support cares and post-trauma services.
“It should be pointed out that the latest development is a fallout of our sustained onslaught on these criminal elements in Nigeria. In the past few months, NAPTIP has continued to disrupt their activities through our Cybercrime Response Team resulting in the arrest of several of them.
“This probably explains why they relocated to Ghana. But we shall smoke them out of Ghana with the support of our partner, EOCO and the Immigration Services.
“At the same time, the suspects among them shall be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted in line with the provisions of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act 2003 as re-enacted in 2015”, the NAPTIP Boss said.
She thanked the EOCO Ghana and other partners as well as the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Nigeria Immigration Service, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other partners for their support assuring the suspect shall made to face the wrath of the law.
