The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 25 women believed to be victims of labour exploitation en route to Saudi Arabia.
In a statement on Monday, NAPTIP said the women, aged between 17 and 43, were intercepted in front of a hotel in Wuse II, Abuja, where they had gathered while awaiting their trafficker. The Agency disclosed that the victims were recruited from Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina States with promises of well-paying jobs as domestic workers abroad.
Some of the women admitted they had yet to receive travel documents and were stranded in Abuja for the first time. One victim recounted that recruiters approached her family in the village, offering assurances of a lucrative job overseas.
NAPTIP noted that a manhunt has been launched for a travel agency suspected of playing a key role in the recruitment process.
Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, condemned traffickers for exploiting vulnerable Nigerians, warning that Abuja is increasingly being used as a hub for trafficking operations. She recalled that operatives had recently intercepted another group of victims near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport under similar circumstances.
“We have successfully disrupted this trafficking process, and we are closing in on the agency whose name features prominently,” Bello said, urging regulatory bodies to monitor travel agencies more closely.
The Agency pledged to intensify surveillance and collaboration with law enforcement partners along red-flag trafficking routes to prevent further exploitation.
