NAPTIP foils trafficking plot, begins hunt for suspects

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 25 women in Abuja who were being trafficked to Saudi Arabia for forced labour.

According to a statement from NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, the women were found in front of a well-known hotel in Wuse II, Abuja, waiting for their trafficker.

The agency believes a popular travel agency is involved and has begun a search for those responsible.

NAPTIP said the rescue operation is part of a larger effort to stop human trafficking, especially in big cities. The agency had earlier ordered more surveillance after noticing a rise in the trafficking of people from rural areas.

The victims, between the ages of 17 and 43, were recruited from Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states.

They were promised jobs as housemaids in Saudi Arabia. One of the women explained that someone had come to their village and convinced her parents that she would get a well-paying job abroad. She added that they were promised travel documents, but none were given.

NAPTIP said most of the women were visiting Abuja for the first time and were stranded.

The Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, said traffickers are now using Abuja as a base to coordinate their illegal activities. She mentioned a similar case where victims were rescued