The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) rescues seven young women from a suspected human trafficking operation in Abuja. The agency carried out a raid on a well-known hotel in Zamaru, located a few kilometers from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, following intelligence reports.
According to NAPTIP’s Chief Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, traffickers were preparing the victims for illegal transportation to Baghdad, Iraq, for exploitation. The operation also resulted in authorities arresting the hotel manager. The manager is currently undergoing interrogation for allegedly facilitating the trafficking scheme.
Authorities had been monitoring the hotel after reports of suspicious activities.
This includes the frequent movement of young girls and unfamiliar men, raised concerns.
Preliminary investigations showed that traffickers recruited six of the victims from Lagos and one from Delta State. They allegedly lured the victims with promises of high-paying caregiving jobs in Iraq. The victims later realized they were being trafficked.
One of the victims recounted her ordeal, saying, “They told me I would work as a househelp in Baghdad and receive a good salary every month. I believed them because I thought Baghdad was in another country. They didn’t tell me I was going to Iraq.”
This rescue operation is part of NAPTIP’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking.
The agency noted that it has recently intercepted over 60 suspected victims while preventing their trafficking through Abuja airport to high-risk destinations in the Middle East.
Reacting to the incident, NAPTIP Director-General Binta Bello expressed concern over the role of service providers in human trafficking. She condemned the hotel’s involvement, describing it as a “muster point” for traffickers operating between Nigeria and Iraq.
“It is alarming how some businesses facilitate trafficking by providing safe havens for traffickers and their victims. The law is clear—harboring trafficking victims is a criminal offense,” Bello conveyed the statement through the Director of Research and Programme Development, Josiah Emerole.
She further warned that the agency would fully enforce the law against any individual or business found aiding human trafficking.
Meanwhile, NAPTIP has intensified its search for other members of the trafficking syndicate, believed to be working with criminal networks in Iraq.
“The hotel manager is being questioned, and we are pursuing other suspects linked to the trafficking ring,” Bello confirmed.
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