The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has received 12 Nigerian victims of human trafficking who were repatriated from Ghana following coordinated cross-border efforts involving Nigerian and Ghanaian authorities.
The victims were returned through a joint operation that included the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana and other law enforcement partners working to dismantle transnational trafficking networks operating within West Africa.
According to NAPTIP’s Lagos Command, the victims comprise nine females aged 17 to 19, two males aged 22, and a baby.
Preliminary investigations revealed they were recruited in Nigeria with false promises of lucrative job opportunities abroad.
However, upon arrival in Ghana, they were allegedly forced into prostitution and cybercrime by traffickers operating an organised exploitation network.
Receiving the returnees, the Zonal Commander of NAPTIP Lagos, Mrs. Agboko Comfort, through the Head of International and Intelligence Cooperation Unit, Omolara Ibrahim, assured that the agency will support the victims’ recovery and reintegration into society.
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She also commended partner agencies for ensuring their safe return.
NAPTIP further confirmed that efforts are ongoing to identify, track, and prosecute members of the trafficking syndicate responsible for the exploitation.
In a related development, the Nigerian Army has also intercepted a separate trafficking attempt along the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos State.
Troops on patrol arrested suspects conveying two female victims believed to be part of a wider trafficking chain targeting Ghana.
One suspect reportedly remains at large as investigations continue.
Security agencies have reiterated their commitment to intensifying the fight against human trafficking and urged the public to be cautious of fake overseas job offers used by criminal networks to lure victims.
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