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NAPTIP: 1.6 million Nigerians living in modern slavery
NAPTIP: 1.6 million Nigerians living in modern slavery
By: Michael Mike
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has lamented that 1.6 million Nigerians out of the total number of 50 million people worldwide are living in modern slavery.
Addressing a press conference on activities lined up to celebrate the 20 years of establishment of NAPTIP and this year’s World Day Against Human Trafficking, the Director General of the agency, Prof. Fatima Waziri Azi, said the 2023 global slavery index, which estimated has shown that 50 million individuals are living in modern slavery, with at least 1.6 million Nigerians affected.
She said: “For anyone that have followed the NAPTIP story since inception has visibly seen the agency progressed from its very first command in Benin-Edo State to offices in 32 States, the last 7 offices acquired in the past year and a half.
“In 20 years, we have seen the crime of human trafficking spread like wildfire in terms of the enormity, trends and patterns. It has not been an easy fight to dismantle these networks, but we remain undaunted.
“Only recently did the 2023 Global Slavery Index opine that globally, it is estimated that 50 million people were living in modern slavery on any day in 3021, an increase of 10 million people since 2016. What this narrative indicates is the urgent need for a more strategic and deliberate global response to these problems.”
She however said “Nigeria is better poised to control and tackled human trafficking due to the collaborative efforts of everyone,” insisting that: “The public is better informed about issues of human trafficking, and this is due to the amplified visibility of NAPTIP.”
She said: “Nigerians have become their brother’s keeper, looking out for one another and this has increased reportage of issues of human trafficking and violence against persons (domestic and sexual violence).
Also speaking at the briefing, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo who was represented the Director Humanitarian Affairs, Grema Ali highlighted some of the notable achievements of the agency to include awareness campaigns and sensitization strategically designed to educate people about human trafficking, associating violence, and what drives it, especially at the sub-national levels through- community-centered awareness creation in partnership with traditional, religious and community leaders; survivor’s advocacy campaigns; school campaigns as well as digital and traditional media campaigns.
Also part of the achievements, according to him, include the establishment of secondary school vanguards, rolling out the Trafficking in persons curricula in schools nationwide, Inclusion of Trafficking in Persons issues into the Minimum Standards of Colleges of Education in collaboration with the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), the establishment of a 24/7 Call Centre and Launch of the ‘627’ short code, are all mechanisms that the Agency has put in place to stem the tide of this heinous crime.
The Permanent Secretary also said other milestones of the agency include: 14,813 cases reported; 10,005 suspected traffickers arrested; 623 Convictions (80 convictions in 2022 and 47 in 2023 for now, including the recent extradition of a high-profile human trafficker to Italy to serve her 13 years jail term); 260 ongoing cases in various courts across the country; the rescue of close to 22,000 victims of human trafficking.
He said: “Knowing that issues of human trafficking happen mostly at the sub-national level, NAPTIP has inaugurated the Task Force against Human Trafficking in 22 states. These task forces have over the years amplified the fight against human trafficking and enhanced collaboration with NAPTIP at the state level.
“Other recent and exciting collaborations NAPTIP has forged is the strategic partnership with Meta (owners of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) and with the US. National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). These partnerships have further enhanced the capacity of NAPTIP to tackle issues of online child exploitation, child sexual assault materials and sextortion including the launch of the amber alert on Facebook and Instagram in September 2022, placing Nigeria as the second country in Africa and the 29th in the world with an amber alert on Facebook and Instagram programme.”
NAPTIP: 1.6 million Nigerians living in modern slavery
NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of cocaine concealed in 20 sets of religious books going to Saudi Arabia.
The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said the cocaine consignment consisting of 20 parcels with a total weight of 500 grammes and buried in the pages of the religious books was uncovered at a courier company in Lagos last Tuesday when NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) were searching through export cargos going to Saudi Arabia at the logistics firm.
Babafemi said at another courier company same day, NDLEA officers intercepted five parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 2.8 kilogrammes hidden in a carton coming from the United States of America.
In Kano, a 22-year-old alleged supplier of illicit substances to bandits, Muhammad Mohammed, has been arrested by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bichi – Kano road while heading to Katsina with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private part with Sellotape.
He was intercepted on Sunday 13th April, while another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was nabbed same day at Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano with 68 blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 30 kilogrammes.
He said not less than 557.2 kilogrammes of skunk, 5.6 kilogrammes of methamphetamine and 29.8 grammes of heroin were recovered from a house along Major General Isaiah Alllison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state where four suspects were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided the premises last Wednesday
Babafemi said the four suspects arrested during the raid include: Sarimiye Suwa, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46, while a total of 1,100 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from a delivery van with the driver, Ismail Abdullahi arrested in Surulere area of Lagos last Thursday.
In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives last Friday raided the hideout of a suspect, Ike Ani, 30, in Zaria, where no fewer than 31,950 pills of tramadol 225mg and diazepam were recovered, and in Kebbi, along Bagudo road on the same day a vehicle loaded with bags of charcoal coming from Malabil, Benin Republic was intercepted, when the vehicle was search, 97 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in the sacks of charcoal was recovered.
. Three suspects: Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
A 48-year-old Okafor Marcel was nabbed with 11.5 kilogrammes skunk at Abatete, Anambra state while NDLEA operatives in Osogbo, Osun state last Tuesday arrested Ajala Mercy, 27, with 43 litres of skushi, a mixture of black currant, cannabis and opioids recovered from her room at Dada estate, Halleluyah area of the state capital.
Babafemi said two cannabis farms in Egbeta forest, Ovia North East LGA, Edo state were raided by NDLEA operatives who destroyed 3,717.8625 kilogrammes of the psychoactive plant on 1.487145 hectares and recovered 136.5 kilogrammes of processed cannabis.
At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a suspect Basorun Kayode, 40, who has been at large for two years was arrested by NDLEA officers in connection with the seizure of 107 kilogrammes Loud imported from Canada in 2023, while another suspect, Dauda Yakubu who distributes illicit drugs within the seaport community was arrested by a team of operatives last Monday.
The spokesman said the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of DOGI, Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Zone 13, Edo and Tin-can commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books
Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
A devastating fire broke out at the Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) on April 19, 2025, destroying approximately one hundred thatch and makeshift houses.
Eye witnesses said that the fire started at around 1040hrs and rapidly spread across the settlement, burning household items, foodstuffs, and other valuable properties to ashes.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and the value of the property destroyed is still being assessed.
Humanitarian officials were immediately deployed to the scene to maintain crowd control and prevent looting, while firefighters, alongside camp residents, worked tirelessly to extinguish the flames.
Fortunately, no casualties or loss of life were reported.
Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno
Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed assailants suspected to be members of ISWAP/Boko Haram attacked and snatched a vehicle in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) on April 18, 2025, at about 1400hrs.
Saleh Haun, a resident of the Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, reported that while he was at the Gumnari Bush Area in Monguno, four armed gunmen, riding on two motorcycles, accosted him.
The assailants, at gunpoint, seized his white Toyota Land Cruiser, before fleeing with the vehicle to an unknown location.
A Military Forward Operating Base (FOB) has been alerted, and efforts are underway to to track the assailant and recover the stolen vehicle.
Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno
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