The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says human trafficking syndicates are increasingly using Abuja as a coordination hub for recruiting and assembling victims before moving them to Middle Eastern destinations.
This follows the interception of 25 women on Sunday in the Wuse II area of the Federal Capital Territory. The women, aged between 17 and 43, were waiting outside a hotel when NAPTIP operatives carried out the raid. They were allegedly being prepared for illegal travel to Saudi Arabia for domestic labour.
During interrogation, several victims said they had been recruited from Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina States by agents who promised lucrative jobs abroad. One of the women explained: “Some people came to our village and told my parents that they would help me travel abroad to work as a house help in Saudi Arabia.
“They assured us that the job would pay very well, and we would be able to support our parents and families. They asked us to come here and wait for them so they could provide travel documents and further instructions. But they have not given us any documents such as an international passport or visa, and we are worried because none of them has shown up as promised.
Many of the rescued women said they had never been to Abuja before and were stranded after being abandoned by their recruiters.
Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, described the development as part of a growing pattern where traffickers exploit Abuja’s transport links and hotel network as staging points for trafficking operations.
She said: “I wish to alert our partners and stakeholders to the new modus operandi of a human trafficking syndicate that uses the Federal Capital Territory as a muster point for their nefarious activities.
“You will recall that a few months ago, some victims were intercepted and rescued from a hotel close to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, just as they were about to be trafficked to destination countries in the Middle East. Now, we have intercepted another 25 women.”
Bello added that investigations had linked a popular travel agency to the operation, and a manhunt has been launched.
She called on the Association of Recruiters and Licensed Placement Agencies of Nigeria to intensify oversight of members, warning that trafficking rings continue to target vulnerable women in remote communities.
According to NAPTIP, the rescue was part of wider surveillance operations across major cities following directives issued in July to step up monitoring in response to a rise in trafficking reports.
