The Federal Government has warned that human traffickers are now using digital platforms and advanced technology to lure, control, and exploit unsuspecting Nigerians, especially women and children. The government described this as a serious and fast-changing threat that requires urgent national attention.
Speaking at the 27th National Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Human Trafficking held in Abuja on Tuesday, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), expressed deep concern over the increasing use of social media and other digital tools by traffickers.
“Trafficking has gone digital. We must act fast or risk being outpaced by criminals who now use sophisticated online tools to recruit, control, and exploit victims,” Fagbemi warned.
He described human trafficking as one of the most profitable crimes in the world, ranking only behind drug and arms trafficking.
“Human trafficking remains one of the world’s most profitable crimes. We must adapt, especially as traffickers now exploit digital tools to operate,” the Attorney-General added.
Mr. Fagbemi stressed the need for stronger legal, institutional, and technological responses to tackle the growing threat. He explained that the ongoing review of Nigeria’s National Action Plan on Human Trafficking is a golden opportunity to strengthen the country’s fight against the crime.
“The fight against human trafficking is not just about statistics or targets. It is about human dignity, freedom, justice, and national integrity,” he stated.
He urged Commissioners for Women Affairs across Nigeria’s 36 states to play a more active role by pushing for laws, programmes, and budgets that directly address human trafficking and victim exploitation.
Fagbemi also called for the creation of a dedicated budget line for state task forces on human trafficking, saying this would help institutionalise their work and make their efforts more effective at the state level.
In her remarks at the forum, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr. Binta Adamu Bello, disclosed that the agency rescued and rehabilitated over 7,000 victims of human trafficking between 2022 and 2024.
She also said that during the same period, NAPTIP secured 205 convictions and set up over 208 Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) vanguards in schools across the country to raise awareness and provide early warnings.
“Our fight has moved online, and so has our response,” Dr. Bello said.
She noted that in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Swiss government, NAPTIP has developed digital tools to improve data collection and reporting on trafficking cases.
Other milestones she mentioned include:
– The reactivation of the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) data platform.
– The establishment of a digital centre in Katsina, supported by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
– The refurbishment of NAPTIP’s Lagos Zonal Command.
– Several donor-funded projects supported by the European Union (EU), Netherlands, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Dr. Bello also revealed that over 160 data officers have been trained nationwide to use new digital tools for case tracking and coordination.
“As a society, we have a choice: to fight together or to become enablers through our silence,” she said, calling for more support from all stakeholders.
The Country Representative of the UNODC in Nigeria, Mr. Cheikh Touré, praised Nigeria’s efforts in combating human trafficking but emphasized that real progress requires action on the ground.
“Policy means nothing without action. Human trafficking is an assault on dignity, a drag on development, and a threat to security,” Touré said.
He called for stronger data systems, improved coordination among agencies, and survivor-led strategies to make Nigeria’s anti-trafficking response more effective. He also highlighted the importance of the National Stakeholders’ Forum, describing it as a key platform for federal and state actors to share a common vision.
Last year, in June 2024, a former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Professor Joy Ezeilo (SAN), had also raised concerns over Nigeria’s vulnerability to human trafficking.
Professor Ezeilo, who is the Executive Director of the Women Aid Collective, had advised the government to set up an early warning system to identify and respond quickly when children go missing from school, fail to enrol, or live outside of family care.
“In Africa, one in every four trafficked persons is Nigerian, making the country the most affected by trafficking,” she said.
She also highlighted that trafficking is present in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with Nigerian victims often trafficked to Europe, other African countries, Asia, and the Americas.
Edo State was previously known as the epicentre of human trafficking in Nigeria, but experts now say the problem has spread widely and is no longer confined to one region.
Reacting to a viral video of young Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana for forced prostitution, Ezeilo reminded Nigerians that trafficking is a real and ongoing issue.
“Human trafficking knows no borders. The trending video is a stark reminder of the scale and danger of this crime,” she stated.
Human trafficking in Nigeria is often driven by poverty, lack of education, unemployment, and weak law enforcement. Victims are usually lured with false promises of jobs, education, or marriage. Many end up in forced labour, prostitution, or other forms of exploitation in Nigeria and abroad.
With traffickers now operating through social media, dating apps, and online job platforms, the challenge has become more complex. Authorities say that traffickers now monitor and manipulate victims using GPS tracking, fake job ads, and even digital blackmail.
The Nigerian government says it is determined to stay ahead of the traffickers through legal reforms, technology, and stronger partnerships with both local and international bodies. But officials agree that more work needs to be done at the state and community levels.
The message from the Abuja forum was clear: trafficking is not just a legal issue—it is a national crisis that affects everyone.
“We must act urgently, act together, and act with compassion,” Fagbemi said.
As traffickers become smarter with technology, Nigeria’s fight against human trafficking must evolve quickly to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
