Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have rescued seven suspected victims of human trafficking following a raid on a popular hotel in Zamaru, near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The victims were reportedly being prepared for illegal migration to Baghdad, Iraq, for exploitation.
The operation, based on credible intelligence from concerned stakeholders, also led to the arrest of the hotel manager. Reports indicated that unusual movements of young girls and unfamiliar individuals around the hotel raised suspicions, prompted NAPTIP to investigate.
A preliminary profiling of the victims revealed that six were recruited from Lagos, while one was from Delta State. Like many before them, they were lured with promises of lucrative caregiving jobs in Iraq, only to be unknowingly handed over to traffickers.
One of the victims, in tears, recounted her ordeal; “They told me I would work as a housemaid in Baghdad and earn a good salary. I believed them because I thought Baghdad was in another country. They never told me I was going to Iraq.”
Reacting to the development, NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, condemned the role of service providers who facilitate human trafficking. She warned that the agency would invoke the full force of the law against those involved in harboring and transporting trafficking victims.
Represented by the Director of Research and Programme Development, Mr. Josiah Emerole, the Director-General said;
“It is sad that some service providers in the country aid the recruitment, transportation, and harboring of trafficking victims. This hotel is believed to be a known transit point for victims smuggled to notorious destinations. The manager is in custody, and we are intensifying efforts to track other members of the trafficking syndicate, including their collaborators in Iraq.”
She further revealed that traffickers coach victims on how to evade arrest, including methods to disguise themselves and mislead law enforcement at the airport.
NAPTIP has in recent months intercepted over 60 suspected trafficking victims at the Abuja airport, preventing them from being smuggled to conflict-ridden Middle Eastern countries. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling human trafficking networks and prosecuting all those involved.
