NAPTIP SOUNDS ALARM ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING AS NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT, LAUNCHES SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR VULNERABLE WOMEN AND CHILDREN

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has highlighted human trafficking as a direct and serious threat to Nigeria’s national security and public safety by fueling organized crime. Speaking at a program launch in Dutse aimed at empowering women and children engaged in street begging across Nigeria, NAPTIP Director-General Hajiya Binta Adamu-Bello emphasized the vulnerability of child beggars to trafficking, exploitation, and even armed conflict recruitment.

The initiative, in collaboration with the Hamadan Kasiran Orphan, Vulnerable and Children OVC Foundation and the Children Education Support Initiative in Arewa (CESIA), seeks to break the cycle of poverty and provide opportunities for these vulnerable groups. Adamu-Bello stressed that trafficking is a modern form of slavery involving recruitment, transport, and exploitation through coercion and deception, punishable by a minimum of seven years imprisonment under Nigeria’s Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Act.

Since establishing its Jigawa State Command in 2023, NAPTIP has rescued over 221 victims, including 13 recently from Maiduguri forcibly trafficked from Babura for labor and begging. The agency remains committed to working with partners to prevent exploitation and calls for increased community awareness facilitated by religious and traditional leaders.