By Ebi Kesiena
Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued and brought back home, 23 Nigerian youths who were trafficked to Thailand and coerced into cyber-enabled criminal activities.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the agency’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye. He explained that the victims were recruited and transported to countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, where they were compelled to engage in romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and investment-related schemes.
According to Adekoye, the traffickers deliberately targeted young Nigerians with strong intellectual capacity, computer literacy, and IT expertise, as well as individuals perceived to have clean personal records.
Reacting to the rescue operation, NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, said the case highlights an emerging and disturbing trend in human trafficking that preys on educated and technologically skilled youths.
She revealed that many of the victims were deceived with offers of scholarships and lucrative employment opportunities abroad, only to be forced into organised online fraud networks upon arrival.
“The victims disclosed that they were trained in different scamming techniques and, in some cases, compelled to learn new languages to function as translators and customer care agents to defraud targets in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, and Canada,” Bello said.
She further stated that the trafficked youths were confined in hostels under strict surveillance by criminal syndicates. Those who failed to meet assigned financial targets were subjected to torture, while some who resisted participation reportedly faced fatal consequences or threats of organ harvesting.
The agency reiterated its commitment to intensifying efforts to dismantle trafficking syndicates and protect vulnerable Nigerians from exploitation under the guise of overseas opportunities.
