Vincent Adekoye, Head of the agency’s Press and Public Relations Unit, disclosed the development on Wednesday in Abuja, noting that the operation was carried out with the support of Eden (Myanmar) and critical assistance from the British Government.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 23 Nigerian youths suspected to be victims of human trafficking in Thailand.
Vincent Adekoye, Head of the agency’s Press and Public Relations Unit, disclosed the development on Wednesday in Abuja, noting that the operation was carried out with the support of Eden (Myanmar) and critical assistance from the British Government.
According to Adekoye, the rescued youths were deceived, recruited, and trafficked to Southeast Asian countries including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, where they were forced to participate in cyber-enabled crimes.
These crimes included romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and investment scams targeting individuals abroad.
The operation follows renewed efforts by NAPTIP to crack down on organised crime. Director-General Binta Adamu-Bello had recently promised tougher action against human traffickers in Nigeria, pledging enhanced strategies and collaboration to detect and dismantle trafficking networks.
Adamu-Bello explained that traffickers are increasingly targeting talented and skilled Nigerians, especially those with IT or computer skills who do not drink or smoke.
Victims are often lured with promises of scholarships or employment but are trained to commit various online scams upon arrival in the destination countries.
“Many were trained as translators or customer service agents to deceive their targets,” she said.
“Upon interrogation, the victims revealed that they were forced to defraud individuals and organisations in the USA, UK, Ethiopia, and Canada.”
The DG further disclosed that victims were accommodated in hostels, provided with gadgets, and closely monitored while carrying out the scams.
Those who refused to comply were reportedly tortured or killed, with some having their organs harvested.
She described this as a disturbing new dimension of human trafficking in Southeast Asia.
NAPTIP has reactivated its networks with the support of local and international partners and is committed to dismantling the syndicate and prosecuting its ringleaders.
The agency also expressed gratitude to civil society organisations in South Asia, Eden (Myanmar), the British Government, and the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok for facilitating the victims’ repatriation, including the issuance of Emergency Travel Certificates.
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