The Federal Government has revealed that human traffickers generate a staggering $245 billion globally each year, with $169.9 billion coming from sexual exploitation and $75.9 billion from forced labour in the private sector, including domestic servitude.

 

This was disclosed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, during the 28th National Stakeholders Consultative Forum held in Abuja to mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The theme of this year’s event was “Human Trafficking is Organised Crime – End the Exploitation.”

 

Citing data from a 2023 report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Fagbemi described human trafficking as a sophisticated, profit-driven transnational crime that poses serious threats to national security. “Traffickers operate in organised groups, shielding themselves from detection and prosecution while exploiting victims across borders,” he said.

 

He noted that Nigeria serves as a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking and warned that the crime undermines national development, fuels corruption, and exploits the most vulnerable, particularly women and children.

 

Fagbemi praised the efforts of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which, since its inception, has rescued 25,642 victims—of whom 73.8% are women and 48.1% are children—arrested 11,406 suspects, and secured 750 convictions (469 males and 281 females). He acknowledged the complexity of securing convictions in such clandestine crimes and described these achievements as significant.

 

The minister added that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is tackling root causes of trafficking through social investment programmes such as youth employment schemes, conditional cash transfers, and skills acquisition initiatives. He also noted that Nigeria is strengthening international cooperation to enable effective cross-border investigations, prosecutions, and asset recoveries.

 

Also speaking, NAPTIP Director-General Binta Bello raised concern over a disturbing new trend: the loan-for-sex trafficking scheme. She explained that desperate women are lured by fake online loan offers and later coerced into sexual exploitation under the guise of repaying non-existent debts. “This exploitative tactic thrives on economic vulnerability and unregulated digital platforms,” she said.

 

Other common strategies include fake job offers and scholarship scams, where traffickers impersonate employers or academic recruiters. Victims, often ambitious youth, are lured abroad only to be subjected to forced labour or sexual abuse.

 

Bello disclosed that work is underway to implement a protocol for the identification, safe return, and rehabilitation of trafficking victims, which was approved in 2022 by the Federal Executive Council. She also said that bilateral and multilateral MoUs are being developed with destination countries to disrupt trafficking networks.

 

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Representative, Mr. Cheikh Toure, called for the creation of a centralised, real-time national data system to support anti-trafficking efforts. He stressed that the system must go beyond statistics, focusing instead on tracking criminal networks, deploying resources effectively, and assessing impact.