The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 24 suspected victims of human trafficking during a six-hour raid at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
One of the victims, who vowed to take legal action against her father, revealed she was deceived into believing she had secured a supermarket job in Baghdad.
“My father told me his friend had a job for me at a supermarket in Baghdad.
“He never mentioned Iraq. I thought I was going to improve my life until NAPTIP rescued me,” she recounted.
NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Bello, who led the operation, disclosed that five suspected traffickers were arrested, including a retired senior officer of a major law enforcement agency accused of being a key figure in a syndicate operating in the South West.
Bello said the victims, aged 15 to 26, were recruited from Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ondo, and Rivers States.
They were being trafficked to Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan. Many could only speak their local dialects and were unaware of their destinations.
“They told my mother they were taking me to Europe to work and earn dollars.
“My parents agreed, not knowing the truth,” another victim revealed.
Expressing shock, Bello said: “It is unbelievable that a father, a retired senior law enforcement officer, would deceive his daughter and attempt to traffic her to Iraq.
“All suspects will face the full weight of the law.”
She stressed that traffickers have increasingly targeted the Abuja airport as a hub and vowed to sustain raids until the menace is curbed.
Bello also commended the cooperation of sister agencies, including FAAN and airport management, during the operation.
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