The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Person (NAPTIP) on Friday said the agency apprehended no fewer than 130 suspected human traffickers and rescued 190 victims within three years.
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The Zonal Commander in Charge of Osun, Ondo and Kwara, Mr Saadu Mustapha, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Osogbo.
He said about 106 cases involving trafficking of humans was handled by the command between 2017 and 2019, and rescued 190 victims, including 45 males and 145 females.
“Traffickers now lure their victims with juicy job offers and other comfortabilities in order to get them abroad and dehumanised them.
“There are some foreigners and other locals who aide trafficking in the name of recruitment abroad knowing to be false.
“The command have been able to handle 106 cases and also rescued about 190 victims to include male 45 and female 145.
“The numbers of suspected victims arrested between 2017 and date by the zone was 79 males and 51 females, making 130.
“We still have about 11 cases pending in court with about 36 completed and 28 cases under investigation,” Mustapha said.
According to him, youths in the country must be conscious of some juicy offers by the traffickers who tend to lure them abroad for trafficking.
“Recently, we arrested and arraigned a Lebanese and his syndicate in Kwara for trafficking some underage girls to Lebanon.
“Although, they have been remanded in prison by a Federal High Court while the rescued victims are to be reunited with their parents.
“We also have a case of one Rosemary Prisea who recruits female victims for exploitative prostitution and had been convicted after she was apprehended and arraigned in the court of law,” Mustapha said.
He however called on stakeholders and relevant sister agencies to support the fight against human trafficking in order to reduce the menace.