NAPTIP Warns of Traffickers Posing as NGOs in Nigeria

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has alerted the public about human traffickers masquerading as representatives of non-governmental organizations to access vulnerable communities and traffic children. Vincent Adekoye, Head of Press and Public Relations at NAPTIP, disclosed this information during a press briefing in Abuja.

He explained that traffickers are exploiting communities affected by insecurity, such as those experiencing farmer-herder conflicts, by promising educational and humanitarian assistance. Recently, NAPTIP rescued four children in Onitsha, Anambra State, who were allegedly trafficked from Kajuru, Kaduna State, in 2023.

Some of these children were found in a high-rise building, while one was in the custody of a nurse at a Federal Medical Centre. Adekoye stated that NAPTIP has recovered 118 trafficked children from Nasarawa, Benue, and three other North-Central states.

The agency plans to profile civil society organizations to prevent exploitation by criminal elements and urged Nigerians to report any suspicious activities involving organizations seeking to take children from families.