The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has raised the alarm over suspected trafficking syndicates allegedly posing as civil society organisations to gain access to vulnerable communities and traffic children.
NAPTIP spokesman, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, saying traffickers often target communities affected by insecurity and lure parents with promises of education and humanitarian support.
He said the agency had recovered 118 children allegedly trafficked from Nasarawa, Benue and three other North-Central states.
Adekoye said NAPTIP was working to profile civil society, community-based and faith-based organisations operating in vulnerable communities to prevent criminal elements from exploiting their credibility.
He added that the agency recently rescued four children in Onitsha, Anambra State, who were allegedly trafficked from Kajuru, Kaduna State, in 2023.
The NAPTIP spokesman also warned that traffickers were increasingly using social media to lure young Nigerians with fake job offers abroad.
According to him, the agency rescued 16 Nigerian men from Thailand in July after they were allegedly trafficked with promises of lucrative employment.
NAPTIP urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and report suspicious individuals or organisations seeking to take children away from their families.
