By Danjuma Amodu
The Federal Government has announced a major shift in Nigeria’s fight against human trafficking, declaring that the country must urgently strengthen its laws, institutions and international partnerships as criminal networks migrate from traditional methods to sophisticated online recruitment and cyber-enabled forced criminality.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said the evolving nature of trafficking requires a comprehensive national response to confront criminals who now exploit digital technology, cross-border networks and online platforms to deceive and control victims.
Fagbemi, represented by the Director of Research, Planning and Statistics in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Victoria Ojogbane, delivered the message at the national commemoration of the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in Abuja. The theme was: “Trapped Behind the Scam.”
He said the Federal Government was determined to strengthen Nigeria’s legal and institutional framework to confront emerging trafficking patterns, particularly those connected with online scams, cybercrime and organised transnational criminal activities.
According to him, traffickers are increasingly using technological advancement to evade detection, recruit victims and move illicit proceeds. He said stronger coordination among law enforcement agencies, improved intelligence sharing, effective prosecution and enhanced victim protection are critical to Nigeria’s response.
“Trafficking today rarely begins at a border. It begins on a phone, with a message from someone who seemed trustworthy about a job that does not exist. By the time a young person understands what has happened, they are already webbed inside the deception.”
— Isabelle Wolfsgruber, Head of Office, ICMPD Nigeria
“The changing dynamics of human trafficking require stronger laws, closer inter-agency collaboration and deeper international cooperation to ensure traffickers no longer exploit technological advances and cross-border criminal networks to evade justice,” he said.
The Attorney-General assured that the government would continue to support coordinated intelligence operations, strengthen partnerships with security agencies, development partners and neighbouring countries, and ensure that victims receive adequate protection and support.
He noted that trafficking has moved beyond conventional exploitation, with criminal syndicates now using fake employment opportunities, scholarships, business proposals and migration promises shared through social media and messaging platforms to lure victims.
The Federal Government’s renewed approach comes amid growing concerns over the increasing connection between human trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering and organised criminal enterprises.
Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Bello, said the digital transformation of trafficking represents one of the most serious challenges confronting anti-trafficking agencies globally.
She warned that traffickers are exploiting unemployment, poverty and the desire for better opportunities among young Nigerians, using sophisticated online deception to recruit victims before subjecting them to exploitation.
Bello said the theme, “Trapped Behind the Scam,” reflects the reality where victims are trapped through online manipulation before being forced into cyber fraud, sexual exploitation, forced labour and other forms of modern slavery.
She called for stronger partnerships among government agencies, technology companies, financial institutions, security organisations and civil society groups to dismantle criminal networks.
Delivering the keynote address, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Representative, Cheikh Touré, warned that trafficking in persons, cybercrime, money laundering and financial fraud are increasingly merging into a single transnational criminal enterprise.
Touré said victims are deceived through social media and online advertisements offering fake jobs, educational opportunities and migration pathways, only to find themselves trapped in scam compounds where their identity documents are seized and they are forced to carry out online fraud.
He disclosed that many victims are compelled to operate romance scams, investment fraud schemes and cryptocurrency-related scams targeting people across the world.
According to him, UNODC research across 21 Nigerian states found increasing evidence that traffickers are exploiting digital platforms for recruitment, while survivors identified fraudulent employment and migration opportunities as major tactics used by criminals.
To strengthen the response, UNODC announced the establishment of a Joint Operational Task Force involving NAPTIP and the Nigeria Immigration Service under the European Union-funded Partnership Against Cybercrime and Trafficking in Persons (PACTS) Project. The task force will focus on intelligence gathering, preservation of digital evidence, tracing criminal proceeds and improving cross-border investigations.
The Head of Office of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) Nigeria, Isabelle Wolfsgruber, said traffickers have moved recruitment from physical locations to digital spaces.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) also emphasised a survivor-focused approach. The Chief of Mission, IOM Nigeria, Sharon Dimanche, said, “Traffickers do not sell fear; they sell hope.” She explained that fake job offers and education opportunities remain some of the strongest tools used by traffickers.
She highlighted the case of a Nigerian lured with a genuine employment opportunity in Southeast Asia but ended up trapped in a cyber scam compound, where his passport was confiscated and he was forced into online fraud under threats and abuse.
According to IOM, the victim was later returned to Nigeria through coordinated efforts involving the government, NAPTIP, IOM and partners.
The organisation disclosed that it has assisted more than 7,700 trafficking victims since 2017, with nearly nine out of every ten victims being women and girls, most of them young adults seeking better economic opportunities.
Stakeholders at the commemoration agreed that human trafficking has evolved from a traditional crime into a complex security, justice and development challenge requiring technology-driven enforcement, stronger regional cooperation, public awareness and sustained support for survivors.
The emerging consensus was that Nigeria’s success in combating trafficking will depend on whether its response can move as quickly and strategically as criminal networks adapting to the digital age.
