Over 300,000 people trafficked into Southeast Asia scam hubs yearly, generate $64bn — NAPTIP

…Agency unveils week-long activities to mark 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

By Favour Ulebor, Abuja

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has disclosed that more than 300,000 people are trafficked annually into online scam operations across Southeast Asia, generating an estimated $64 billion for transnational criminal networks.

Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, made the disclosure on Wednesday at a press briefing ahead of the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, warning that cyber-enabled trafficking was becoming a growing global threat.

She said victims of the trafficking networks are drawn from about 66 countries, with the highest number originating from Western and developed nations, while about 74 per cent of identified scam compounds are concentrated in the Mekong region.

Bello warned that the trend was gradually spreading to Nigeria and other African countries, making the fight against technology-driven human trafficking more urgent.

She said the agency had uncovered a disturbing shift in trafficking patterns, with educated and highly skilled Nigerian youths increasingly being lured with fake job offers in information technology, digital marketing, customer service, cryptocurrency trading, gaming and telecommunications.

According to her, many victims are recruited through fake social media advertisements, scholarship opportunities and overseas employment schemes before being trafficked to countries including Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

She explained that upon arrival, their passports are confiscated and they are subjected to threats, violence, debt bondage and psychological coercion, forcing them to participate in online fraud schemes such as romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud and investment scams.

“Over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, with an estimated revenue of about 64 billion dollars generated. About 66 countries of origin are represented among trafficked victims, with the highest from the West and developed nations,” Bello said.

She added that many victims become trapped behind computer screens, false promises and organised criminal networks, unable to escape from the exploitation.

The NAPTIP boss said the emerging trend informed this year’s theme for the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, “Trapped Behind the Scam,” which highlights the increasing use of online fraud schemes and cyber-enabled criminal enterprises to exploit victims.

She said traffickers now deploy social media platforms, encrypted communication channels, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence tools to recruit, control and exploit victims.

Bello explained that the trafficking process often involves four stages: recruitment through online platforms, digital grooming through encrypted messaging applications, payment through informal transfer systems and cryptocurrency wallets, followed by movement to scam compounds where victims are exploited.

She noted that victims who fail to meet fraud targets are subjected to severe abuse, while the impact extends beyond individuals to families and communities who often lose contact with loved ones after spending their resources on fake overseas employment opportunities.

Highlighting NAPTIP’s interventions, Bello said the agency rescued and repatriated more than 300 victims of cyber-enabled trafficking from neighbouring countries, including Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, in 2025.

She added that 156 additional victims had been rescued since January 2026 with support from partners, including Eden (Myanmar).

The NAPTIP director-general also disclosed that the agency had dismantled several trafficking-linked scam centres and fraud academies across Nigeria, where young people were allegedly trained under names such as “Yahoo Plus,” “Yahoo Extra” and “Hustle Kingdom (H.K.)” to engage in financial extortion, sextortion and other cyber-related crimes.

She said suspects arrested by the agency’s Cyber Response Team were currently facing prosecution.

On its broader operations, Bello disclosed that NAPTIP recently rescued 46 suspected victims at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, who were allegedly being trafficked to security-challenged countries in the Middle East.

She added that another 120 victims were rescued in Kano as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts.

The NAPTIP boss said the agency had intensified nationwide awareness campaigns through schools, tertiary institutions, transport hubs, markets, religious organisations and digital platforms.

She disclosed that more than 180 Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Persons Vanguards had been inaugurated in secondary schools nationwide to educate young people on trafficking and violence prevention.

Bello also said NAPTIP had validated the National Strategy for Trafficking in Persons and Violence Against Persons (TIPVAP 2025–2027) to strengthen Nigeria’s response to emerging trafficking trends.

She added that Nigeria was implementing the Direct Driven Facility (DDF) project under the ECOWAS Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa Phase II programme, funded by ECOWAS, the European Union and Denmark, with implementation support from the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

According to her, the agency has secured 839 convictions since inception, including 47 convictions recorded between January and July 2026.

She also disclosed that a high-profile trafficker and his wife were recently convicted in Ondo State, with houses and other properties worth millions of naira forfeited to the government.

Warning traffickers that the agency would continue to pursue them, Bello said: “The days when traffickers operated with impunity are rapidly coming to an end. The Agency will continue to turn up the heat on traffickers until Nigeria becomes an increasingly hostile environment for every trafficking syndicate.”

She urged Nigerians, particularly youths, to verify overseas job offers, avoid unofficial recruitment channels and report suspicious advertisements or recruiters to the appropriate authorities.

As part of activities marking the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Bello announced a week-long programme beginning with Juma’at prayers and sensitisation on Friday, July 24, followed by Thanksgiving and sensitisation services on Sunday, July 26.

She said the agency would hold mass sensitisation campaigns across three Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday, July 28, while an awareness walk and public campaign from Old Parade Ground to Unity Fountain would take place on Wednesday, July 29.

The main World Day Against Trafficking in Persons commemoration is scheduled for Thursday, July 30, while activities will end with a “Survivors Time Out” on Friday, July 31, and a novelty football match involving NAPTIP and its development partners on Saturday, August 1.

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