The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued seven young women believed to be victims of human trafficking following a raid on a popular hotel in Zamaru, just a few kilometers from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. According to NAPTIP’s Chief Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, the women were being prepared for trafficking to Baghdad, Iraq, for exploitation.
The rescue operation, which was based on a tip-off, also led to the arrest of the hotel manager, who is currently being questioned for allegedly harboring the victims. The hotel had been under surveillance after concerns were raised about the unusual movement of young girls and suspicious individuals at the premises, suggesting the presence of a trafficking ring.
Preliminary investigations revealed that six of the victims were recruited from Lagos, while one was from Delta State. They were reportedly promised “well-paying caregiving jobs in Iraq,” only to later realize they were being trafficked. One of the victims tearfully recalled, “They told me I would work as a house help in Baghdad with a good salary every month. I believed them because I thought Baghdad was in another country. They never told me I was going to work in Iraq.”
This rescue adds to NAPTIP’s growing efforts to prevent trafficking, as the agency has recently intercepted over 60 suspected trafficking victims at the Abuja airport, many of whom were heading to volatile and war-torn Middle Eastern countries.
In response, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Bello, expressed concern over the involvement of service providers in trafficking operations, noting that the hotel served as a “muster point” for traffickers operating between Nigeria and the Middle East. Bello, represented by Mr. Josiah Emerole, the Director of Research and Programme Development, emphasized that harboring trafficking victims is a criminal offense under Nigerian law. She also vowed that NAPTIP would apply the full weight of the law against those found complicit in trafficking activities.
NAPTIP has intensified its search for other members of the trafficking network, which is believed to operate in collaboration with criminal syndicates in Iraq. The hotel manager is being interrogated, and the agency is working to dismantle the broader trafficking operation.