The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has received 231 Nigerian victims of human trafficking rescued by Ghanaian authorities.
The victims, mostly male youths, were received at the NAPTIP Lagos Zonal Command in Ikeja after their repatriation from Ghana, where they had been held in a suspected human trafficking and cybercrime hub.
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According to a letter addressed to the NAPTIP Director-General by the Executive Director of Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Abdulai Bashiru Dapilah, the victims were rescued during a joint operation in Kumasi and Oyarifa, a suburb of Accra.
The letter, titled *“Request for Assistance to Screen Suspects of Human Trafficking for Possible Prosecution in Nigeria”*, disclosed that out of approximately 50 houses within Kumsark Estate, about 30 were being occupied by suspected traffickers and their victims.
“On Thursday, April 17, 2025, EOCO conducted a search operation within the estate, combing 20 houses. A total of 231 Nigerian nationals were found—227 males and four females—aged between 15 and 18 years,” the agency stated.
Receiving the returnees, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, said the agency would intensify cross-border collaborations with state and non-state actors to dismantle transnational trafficking syndicates operating across West Africa.
Represented by the Lagos Zonal Commander, Bello lamented the increasing trend of Nigerian youths being trafficked to neighbouring countries for sexual exploitation and cybercrime.
“We are deeply concerned by the emerging trend making Ghana and other West African nations a hub for cybercrime and human trafficking,” she said.
She added that NAPTIP had begun consultations with law enforcement agencies in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, The Gambia, and other countries to review existing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), bilateral agreements, and legal frameworks to strengthen cooperation and enhance joint responses.
“We will commence immediate profiling of the returnees to determine their medical condition, health status, skill needs, and other essential variables to provide them with support and post-trauma care,” she said.
Bello attributed the development to NAPTIP’s ongoing crackdown on cybercrime rings in Nigeria, which may have forced traffickers to shift operations to Ghana.
“In the past months, our Cybercrime Response Team has disrupted several criminal networks. Their relocation to Ghana is a reaction to our intensified operations. But with the support of EOCO and immigration services, we will track them down,” she said.
She further assured that suspected traffickers among the group would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003, as amended in 2015.
The NAPTIP boss commended EOCO, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Nigeria Immigration Service, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other partners for their continued support, assuring that justice would be served.