1,200 Trafficking Victims Reunited With Families In One Year- Report
About 1,200 victims of trafficking in Nigeria were reunited with their families in one year, according to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
NAPTIP revealed this in a three-year performance overview covering September 2021 to September 2024. Released in November 2024, the report details the tenure of its immediate past Director-General, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi.
The agency stated that it reunited 1,198 victims of trafficking across its offices nationwide from September 2023 to September 2024, with most of these reunifications taking place in 2024.
In September 2023, NAPTIP rescued 101 victims, which rose slightly to 105 in October and 112 in November. However, December 2023 saw a significant drop, with only 81 victims rescued. The figures climbed to 88 in January 2024, peaked at 109 in February, and slightly declined to 95 in March.
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April 2024 recorded the lowest number of rescues during this period, with just 67 victims, but May saw a sharp increase to 160. This upward trend continued with 116 rescues in June and a peak of 164 in July 2024, the highest monthly figure during the reporting period.
The rescued victims received support, including shelter, legal assistance, mental health counselling, and reintegration services, before being reunited with their families.
From January 2022 to August 2024, NAPTIP secured 190 convictions for human trafficking, accounting for 27.94% of all such convictions achieved by the agency in its 21-year history. During the same period, it also recorded 20 convictions for rape and domestic violence, representing 74.07% of all such convictions since 2015.
These convictions include high-profile cases, such as life imprisonment sentences for three offenders convicted of rape. Seven offenders received prison terms of 10 years or more, including Felicia Osaigbovo, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined ₦24 million for trafficking Nigerian girls to Belgium for sexual exploitation.
For offences carrying lighter sentences, 12 offenders were sentenced to terms between one and four years, often accompanied by fines or compensation. Fines alone, ranging from ₦250,000 to ₦24 million, were imposed in some cases.
The immediate past Director-General, Waziri-Azi, attributed these achievements to enhanced collaboration with local and international partners.
“These convictions are a testament to the agency’s unwavering commitment to justice and the resilience of survivors who courageously participated in the prosecution process,” she said.
The report highlighted forced labour and sexual exploitation as the primary forms of abuse faced by victims of trafficking.
According to further details from the International Organisation for Migration, 1,114 victims — predominantly female (82%) — suffered forced labour and sex trade exploitation.
Traffickers employed diverse methods of control, with physical and psychological abuse being prominently reported. Deception, combined with threats and wage withholding, kept victims trapped and subjugated.
The report also revealed that most victims were trafficked by friends or acquaintances, accounting for 46.6% of female victims and 53.2% of male victims.
NAPTIP’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Zack Dauda, expressed optimism about convicting more offenders in the coming year.
“Since our return to the Ministry of Justice on October 20, 2023, we have been aiming for more efficient delivery of justice against perpetrators of trafficking. Being under the justice ministry allows for easier collaboration and faster resolution of legal challenges,” Dauda said.
