NAPTIP WARNS TRAFFICKERS NOW GROOM CHILDREN THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has warned that human traffickers are increasingly using social media platforms to groom children, urging students to be cautious of suspicious online relationships and report questionable offers.

The warning was issued during the inauguration of Anti-Human Trafficking Vanguard Clubs at Eyaen Secondary School and Umagbae Secondary School in Edo State. The initiative, implemented under the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP) of the International Centre for Migration Policy and Development (ICMPD), aims to equip students with the knowledge to identify trafficking risks and educate their peers.

Mrs Tonia Mgbemeje, Assistant Director of the Legal and Prosecution Unit at NAPTIP’s Benin Zonal Command, said traffickers use platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to establish relationships with children before luring them into exploitation. She warned that some victims are manipulated into sharing private pictures and later threatened with exposure. She also identified suspicious offers of attractive jobs or foreign scholarships, demands for secrecy from parents and teachers, and pressure to swear oaths as warning signs. Mgbemeje urged students to discuss such approaches with trusted adults.

Daniella Ige, Junior Project Officer of ICMPD in Edo, said the project had covered 37 schools across its first three phases, with an initial target of 50 schools and approximately 1,500 student advocates. She added that the programme was extending awareness activities to churches, markets and communities, while future activities would focus on monitoring the clubs and promoting peer-to-peer advocacy.

Other stakeholders, including the Edo State Migration Agency and the state Ministry of Education, urged students to promote safe migration, share the knowledge gained and report suspicious offers to teachers, guidance counsellors and school authorities.

The STEAP project is implemented in partnership with NAPTIP and relevant state institutions, with funding from the Government of the Netherlands, across Edo, Delta, Ogun, Benue and Enugu states.