By Oluwatoyin Adegoke
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has reaffirmed its commitment to combating human trafficking and protecting Nigerians from exploitation, warning about the increasing use of digital platforms by traffickers to lure unsuspecting victims.
Speaking on a live interview programme on Radio Nigeria Paramount FM, Abeokuta, the Ogun State Commander of NAPTIP, Mrs. Bosede Jimoh, explained that traffickers had begun exploiting social media and online job platforms to recruit victims for sexual exploitation, forced labour, and even organ harvesting.
Mrs. Jimoh acknowledged the proactive leadership of NAPTIP’s Director-General, Mrs. Binta Adamu-Bello, whose nationwide sensitization campaigns had strengthened the agency’s efforts to tackle these emerging digital-age tactics.
She said the agency had intensified awareness campaigns across schools and communities through sensitization drives, radio programmes, and partnerships with civil society organizations with a view to equipping young people and parents with the knowledge to identify and resist suspicious online offers.
The Commander appluded the Federal Government for supporting NAPTIP’s operations and for strengthening inter-agency collaboration with the Police, Immigration Service, DSS, and NSCDC, which she said enabled prompt responses to reported cases of trafficking.
Mrs. Jimoh added that NAPTIP had continued to provide counselling, empowerment, and educational support for rescued victims to help them overcome trauma, noting that some survivors had been absorbed into the agency’s workforce, while others were pursuing education through partner NGOs.
Highlighting the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), funded by the Government of the Netherlands and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in partnership with NAPTIP.
The Commander disclosed that over 21,000 students across 10 schools in Ogun State had been sensitized, with 40 more schools lined up for the next phase.
She noted that the initiative was already yielding positive results, as more students and teachers had begun to understand how to identify and report trafficking risks through interactive sessions and school-based campaigns.
