Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have rescued 25 women believed to be victims of human trafficking and labour exploitation.
According to a statement by NAPTIP spokesperson Vincent Adekoye, the women were intercepted in Abuja while allegedly being trafficked to Saudi Arabia for domestic work.
The victims, aged between 17 and 43, were found waiting outside a popular hotel in Wuse II, a highbrow district of Abuja, where they had reportedly gathered to meet their trafficker.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the women had been recruited from Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina States, with promises of lucrative jobs as house helps in Saudi Arabia. However, they had not received any valid travel documents.
“Some people came to our village and told my parents they would help me travel abroad to work as a house help in Saudi Arabia,” one of the victims recounted during questioning.
“They assured us the job would pay well, and we’d be able to support our families. But now, we are here without passports or visas, and no one has come to meet us as promised.”
Several of the women confessed it was their first time in Abuja and said they were stranded, raising alarm about the growing sophistication of trafficking networks.
Reacting to the incident, NAPTIP Director-General Binta Bello condemned the trafficking syndicate and warned of a growing trend where Abuja is being used as a centralized hub for coordinating human trafficking operations.
“The sad aspect of this situation is that these unsuspecting victims eagerly accepted the offer without understanding the level of exploitation and abuse that awaited them in the destination country,” Bello said.
She also urged regulatory bodies, including the Association of Recruiters, Licensed Placement Agency of Nigeria, and other travel industry stakeholders, to step up their oversight responsibilities.
“I call on all relevant regulatory bodies to intensify efforts in monitoring the activities of their members and ensure no agency is complicit in this heinous crime,” she added.
NAPTIP said investigations are ongoing to apprehend the traffickers behind the operation.
