Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have raided a well-known hotel in Zamaru, a few kilometres from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, rescuing seven suspected victims of human trafficking who were allegedly being prepared for exploitation in Baghdad, Iraq.
The operation, which also led to the arrest of the hotel manager, was carried out following credible intelligence from concerned stakeholders who noticed the unusual movement of young girls and suspicious-looking men within the premises. This raised suspicions that the hotel was being used to harbour victims of human trafficking.
It would be recalled that, in recent months, NAPTIP has intercepted no fewer than 60 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while they were en route to volatile and war-torn countries in the Middle East.
According to NAPTIP Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, a detailed profiling of the rescued victims revealed that six were recruited from Lagos, while one came from Delta State.
As with previous cases, the victims had been deceived with promises of well-paying caregiving jobs in Iraq, only to be handed over into exploitative conditions by two sets of recruiters whose identities remain unknown to them.
"They told me that I will do a househelp in Baghdad and I will receive good salary every month. I believed them because I think say Baghdad is in another Country. Them no tell me say I dey go work for Iraq," one of the victims recalled, in tears, as she narrated her ordeal.
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Reacting to the development, NAPTIP's Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, expressed deep concern over the involvement of unscrupulous service providers in facilitating the recruitment and trafficking of Nigerians for exploitation. She warned that the agency would henceforth invoke relevant legal provisions to prosecute any entities found culpable.
Represented by the Director of Research and Programme Development, Mr Josiah Emerole, the Director General stated: "It is sad the way some of the service providers in the country aid and abet the recruitment, transportation, transfer, and harbouring of Nigerians who are victims of human trafficking.
"The hotel is believed to be a muster point for victims of human trafficking to some of the notorious destination countries.
"The manager of the hotel is being quizzed, and we have also intensified the manhunt for other members of the trafficking gang working in collaboration with criminal elements in Iraq.
"The suspected victims are trafficked from different parts of the country and harboured in the hotel. They are further briefed on how to evade arrest at any point by disguising themselves and rehearsing answers to law enforcement officers at the airport.
"Due to the unpatriotic roles of some of these service providers, the agency shall henceforth invoke the appropriate section of its law to prosecute them. This is because harbouring suspected victims of human trafficking is also an offence under the Trafficking law."
NAPTIP has assured the public that investigations are ongoing to dismantle the trafficking network, while the rescued victims are receiving necessary care and support.
