The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons on Wednesday said it has rescued 156 victims of human trafficking since January 2026 and repatriated over 300 others from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in 2025.This was as it warned that criminal networks had moved the frontlines of exploitation from brothels and farms into the digital space, where educated, tech-savvy Nigerian graduates were now being lured into scam compounds across Southeast Asia.Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, disclosed this at a pre-World Day Against Trafficking in Persons press conference held at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, where she received representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Organisation for Migration, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as part of activities leading to the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed annually on July 30.The theme for this year’s commemoration is ‘Trapped Behind the Scam.’She said, “Many young people, particularly educated and highly skilled youths, are lured with promises of lucrative employment opportunities abroad in information technology, digital marketing, customer service, cryptocurrency trading, gaming or telecommunications.“Upon arrival in foreign countries, especially parts of Asia, they discover that the promised jobs do not exist. Instead, their passports are confiscated, their freedom is restricted, and they are forced under threats, intimidation, violence, debt bondage, or psychological coercion to perpetrate sophisticated online scams targeting unsuspecting victims across the world.”Describing the scale of the challenge, she stated, “Over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, with an estimated revenue of about $64 billion generated. About 66 countries of origin are represented among trafficked victims, with approximately 74 per cent of identified scam compounds concentrated in the Mekong region, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.”Bello termed the conditions of those trapped inside these compounds as severe, saying “For those who fail to meet targets, they are locked in solitary confinement, tortured, raped, and even have their organs harvested.“Families lose contact with their loved ones. Parents exhaust their savings in desperate attempts to secure what they believe are legitimate overseas opportunities.“Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. This was as it warned that criminal networks had moved the frontlines of exploitation from brothels and farms into the digital space, where educated, tech-savvy Nigerian graduates were now being lured into scam compounds across Southeast Asia.Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, disclosed this at a pre-World Day Against Trafficking in Persons press conference held at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, where she received representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Organisation for Migration, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as part of activities leading to the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed annually on July 30.The theme for this year’s commemoration is ‘Trapped Behind the Scam.’She said, “Many young people, particularly educated and highly skilled youths, are lured with promises of lucrative employment opportunities abroad in information technology, digital marketing, customer service, cryptocurrency trading, gaming or telecommunications.“Upon arrival in foreign countries, especially parts of Asia, they discover that the promised jobs do not exist. Instead, their passports are confiscated, their freedom is restricted, and they are forced under threats, intimidation, violence, debt bondage, or psychological coercion to perpetrate sophisticated online scams targeting unsuspecting victims across the world.”Describing the scale of the challenge, she stated, “Over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, with an estimated revenue of about $64 billion generated. About 66 countries of origin are represented among trafficked victims, with approximately 74 per cent of identified scam compounds concentrated in the Mekong region, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.”Bello termed the conditions of those trapped inside these compounds as severe, saying “For those who fail to meet targets, they are locked in solitary confinement, tortured, raped, and even have their organs harvested.“Families lose contact with their loved ones. Parents exhaust their savings in desperate attempts to secure what they believe are legitimate overseas opportunities.“Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, disclosed this at a pre-World Day Against Trafficking in Persons press conference held at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, where she received representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Organisation for Migration, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as part of activities leading to the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed annually on July 30.The theme for this year’s commemoration is ‘Trapped Behind the Scam.’She said, “Many young people, particularly educated and highly skilled youths, are lured with promises of lucrative employment opportunities abroad in information technology, digital marketing, customer service, cryptocurrency trading, gaming or telecommunications.“Upon arrival in foreign countries, especially parts of Asia, they discover that the promised jobs do not exist. Instead, their passports are confiscated, their freedom is restricted, and they are forced under threats, intimidation, violence, debt bondage, or psychological coercion to perpetrate sophisticated online scams targeting unsuspecting victims across the world.”Describing the scale of the challenge, she stated, “Over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, with an estimated revenue of about $64 billion generated. About 66 countries of origin are represented among trafficked victims, with approximately 74 per cent of identified scam compounds concentrated in the Mekong region, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.”Bello termed the conditions of those trapped inside these compounds as severe, saying “For those who fail to meet targets, they are locked in solitary confinement, tortured, raped, and even have their organs harvested.“Families lose contact with their loved ones. Parents exhaust their savings in desperate attempts to secure what they believe are legitimate overseas opportunities.“Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. The theme for this year’s commemoration is ‘Trapped Behind the Scam.’She said, “Many young people, particularly educated and highly skilled youths, are lured with promises of lucrative employment opportunities abroad in information technology, digital marketing, customer service, cryptocurrency trading, gaming or telecommunications.“Upon arrival in foreign countries, especially parts of Asia, they discover that the promised jobs do not exist. Instead, their passports are confiscated, their freedom is restricted, and they are forced under threats, intimidation, violence, debt bondage, or psychological coercion to perpetrate sophisticated online scams targeting unsuspecting victims across the world.”Describing the scale of the challenge, she stated, “Over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, with an estimated revenue of about $64 billion generated. About 66 countries of origin are represented among trafficked victims, with approximately 74 per cent of identified scam compounds concentrated in the Mekong region, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.”Bello termed the conditions of those trapped inside these compounds as severe, saying “For those who fail to meet targets, they are locked in solitary confinement, tortured, raped, and even have their organs harvested.“Families lose contact with their loved ones. Parents exhaust their savings in desperate attempts to secure what they believe are legitimate overseas opportunities.“Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. She said, “Many young people, particularly educated and highly skilled youths, are lured with promises of lucrative employment opportunities abroad in information technology, digital marketing, customer service, cryptocurrency trading, gaming or telecommunications.“Upon arrival in foreign countries, especially parts of Asia, they discover that the promised jobs do not exist. Instead, their passports are confiscated, their freedom is restricted, and they are forced under threats, intimidation, violence, debt bondage, or psychological coercion to perpetrate sophisticated online scams targeting unsuspecting victims across the world.”Describing the scale of the challenge, she stated, “Over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, with an estimated revenue of about $64 billion generated. About 66 countries of origin are represented among trafficked victims, with approximately 74 per cent of identified scam compounds concentrated in the Mekong region, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.”Bello termed the conditions of those trapped inside these compounds as severe, saying “For those who fail to meet targets, they are locked in solitary confinement, tortured, raped, and even have their organs harvested.“Families lose contact with their loved ones. Parents exhaust their savings in desperate attempts to secure what they believe are legitimate overseas opportunities.“Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “Upon arrival in foreign countries, especially parts of Asia, they discover that the promised jobs do not exist. Instead, their passports are confiscated, their freedom is restricted, and they are forced under threats, intimidation, violence, debt bondage, or psychological coercion to perpetrate sophisticated online scams targeting unsuspecting victims across the world.”Describing the scale of the challenge, she stated, “Over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, with an estimated revenue of about $64 billion generated. About 66 countries of origin are represented among trafficked victims, with approximately 74 per cent of identified scam compounds concentrated in the Mekong region, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.”Bello termed the conditions of those trapped inside these compounds as severe, saying “For those who fail to meet targets, they are locked in solitary confinement, tortured, raped, and even have their organs harvested.“Families lose contact with their loved ones. Parents exhaust their savings in desperate attempts to secure what they believe are legitimate overseas opportunities.“Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. Describing the scale of the challenge, she stated, “Over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, with an estimated revenue of about $64 billion generated. About 66 countries of origin are represented among trafficked victims, with approximately 74 per cent of identified scam compounds concentrated in the Mekong region, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.”Bello termed the conditions of those trapped inside these compounds as severe, saying “For those who fail to meet targets, they are locked in solitary confinement, tortured, raped, and even have their organs harvested.“Families lose contact with their loved ones. Parents exhaust their savings in desperate attempts to secure what they believe are legitimate overseas opportunities.“Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. Bello termed the conditions of those trapped inside these compounds as severe, saying “For those who fail to meet targets, they are locked in solitary confinement, tortured, raped, and even have their organs harvested.“Families lose contact with their loved ones. Parents exhaust their savings in desperate attempts to secure what they believe are legitimate overseas opportunities.“Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “Families lose contact with their loved ones. Parents exhaust their savings in desperate attempts to secure what they believe are legitimate overseas opportunities.“Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “Without any intention of sounding alarmist, the emerging face of human trafficking is dreadful, dangerous, and poses a multi-dimensional threat to the entire nation with collateral generational damage.”Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. Narrating the recruitment pathway being used by traffickers, she explained, “In the first stage, victims are contacted via social media job-listing pages promising overseas employment, post-graduate scholarships, customer service roles or remote work.“Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “Recruiters arrange visa and flights through a local escort, and passports are confiscated on arrival. The second stage involves digital grooming through encrypted messaging apps to build trust, isolate the victim from family, and finalise travel terms.“The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “The third stage involves a travel facilitation fee through informal money-transfer agents and crypto wallets. The final stage is exploitation at the destination, victims are held in fenced compounds and forced to run romance and investment scams under constant threat.”On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. On domestic enforcement, Bello said NAPTIP’s Cyber Response Team had disrupted several scam centres being groomed as “fraud academies” within Nigeria, arresting operators of Yahoo Plus, Yahoo Extra and Hustle Kingdom networks who were training young men in financially and sexually motivated extortion. She confirmed that those arrested were being prosecuted.“A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “A few months ago, I personally led an operation, acting on credible intelligence, which resulted in the interception and rescue of 46 suspected victims of human trafficking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East. About 120 victims were also rescued in Kano,” she stated.On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. On the prosecution record, the DG said NAPTIP had secured a total of 839 convictions since its inception and 47 convictions between January and July 2026 alone.Related NewsNPC begins digital birth, death registration in KwaraNigeria’s digital identity transformation unrivaled under Tinubu — ShettimaKano bans illicit drug sales, restricts movement in abuse hotspots“NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “NAPTIP has demystified human traffickers, especially the so-called big fishes who were before now regarded as untouchable. A few months ago, a high-profile trafficker and his wife were convicted in Ondo State, and property worth millions of naira, including houses, was forfeited,” she said.The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. The UNODC Country Representative, Cheik Touré, said tackling trafficking required more than law enforcement. He said it demanded deliberate investment in economic opportunity for young Nigerians.Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. Touré said “Trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunity is scarce. Young people who cannot find decent jobs at home become the very population that traffickers seek out. Every skill acquired, every job created, and every opportunity opened at home is one less door left ajar for traffickers to exploit.“Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “Investing in youth is therefore not simply a development priority, it is a frontline defence against trafficking.”He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. He called on media organisations to adopt a survivor-centred reporting approach that avoided stigmatization, saying, “We need you to report right. We need you to report transparently. We need you to help hold people accountable and promote narratives that restore dignity to those who have been exploited.”The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. The IOM’s Chief of Mission, Dimanche Sharon, disclosed that the Mission’s data consistently showed young people disproportionately affected, with those aged 18 to 25 accounting for approximately 54 per cent of assisted trafficking victims, while those aged 18 to 49 comprised approximately 93 per cent of migrants supported by the organisation.“Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “Since 2017, IOM has assisted more than 7,600 victims of trafficking in Nigeria, supporting their recovery through individualised, survivor-centred services covering protection, victim identification, voluntary return where appropriate, rehabilitation, reintegration, capacity building, and institutional strengthening,” the IOM Chief said.She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. She stressed that victims compelled to participate in online fraud schemes must be treated as victims, not offenders.“Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “Trafficking for forced criminality is a form of trafficking in persons. Victims compelled to participate in these activities remain victims and should be identified, protected, and assisted rather than automatically criminalised,” she said.Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. Meanwhile, the Head of Office of ICMPD Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said the organisation had reached over 80,000 students, more than 1,000 teachers and 6,000 parents through the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and operating across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu and Ogun states.A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. A total of 136 School Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Clubs had been established, with students leading peer conversations on trafficking risks, she stated.“In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. “In Ogun State, a father lost his daughter to trafficking. Instead of letting grief silence him, he now works alongside our civil society partner, visiting communities and telling his family’s story so that other parents can recognise the warning signs before it is too late for them,” the ICMPD Chief said.Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. Wolfsgruber also disclosed that ICMPD, working with NAPTIP and CIVIPOL under EU and Netherlands funding, had trained over 345 investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers, including on cybercrime and digital evidence increasingly relevant to modern trafficking cases.The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. The First Secretary on Migration at the Dutch Embassy, Sib Siebesma, outlined the Netherlands’ funding portfolio across five counter-trafficking programmes in Nigeria including the TIPVAP project through ICMPD, the STEAP school education project, the COMPASS programme through IOM, the PROMIS programme through UNODC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime project.Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. Siebesma described the Netherlands as a committed partner in Nigeria’s efforts to address both trafficking and irregular migration.The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1. The programme of activities for the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons includes a sensitisation exercise on July 24, a thanksgiving service on July 26, mass sensitisation in three Abuja area councils on July 28, an awareness walk from the Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain on July 29, the main commemoration on July 30, a survivors’ day out on July 31 and a novelty football match with partners on August 1.