NSCDC Rescues Ten Suspected Victims Of Human Trafficking On Abuja

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) intercepted ten suspected human trafficking victims in Abuja who were allegedly being sponsored for illegal migration abroad.

Officers from the NSCDC’s FCT command apprehended the victims at Zuba Motor Park in Abuja after receiving a tip about their return from Minna, Niger State, where they had gone to process their international passport as directed by their sponsor.

The victims, aged 24 to 34, included one male and nine females who all claimed to be Ondo State indigenes.

It was reported that each of them paid N80,000 to facilitate the acquisition of the international passport.

According to a statement issued on Monday by Samuel Idoko, spokesman for the NSCDC’s FCT Command, the intercepted individuals also admitted to being promised migration abroad to take up ready-made jobs, particularly in North Africa and Canada, by a yet-to-be-identified sponsor residing in Okitipupa, Ondo State.

While handing over the ten suspected victims to the Nigeria Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), FCT Commandant Olusola Odumosu cautioned Nigerians about the dangers of illegal migration abroad.

He warned: “Be wary of people who promise you a better future abroad; do not be desperate, because some of them will ruin your lives.

“They deceive you and take large sums of money from you by promising you ready-made jobs, but in reality, you may end up in slavery or forced to work as sex workers.

“If you must travel abroad, go through the proper channels to ensure your safety; do not allow someone to seize your international passport and force you to swear an oath you will later regret.”

The Commandant also stated that the victims had been handed over to NAPTIP, the human trafficking agency, for further investigation and legal action.