“I was desperate for death, but it wouldn’t come.”
These haunting words were that of a young Nigerian woman, a survivor of human trafficking(name withheld) for her safety.
Her story was shared during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, and is a painful testimony to the hidden horrors many Nigerians face in pursuit of a better life.
She was barely out of her teenage years when a trusted family friend referred to only as a village Prince offered her what seemed like a dream opportunity: an education abroad.
“I always wanted to go to school, to become something in life,” she said. But that dream was soon twisted into a nightmare.
What began as a hopeful journey to Malaysia quickly derailed. Smuggled through Kano and across dangerous desert terrain into Niger Republic, she was part of a group of young girls trafficked to Libya. “It was in the desert that people started dying,” she recounted. “We spent two weeks there with no proper food or water.”
Unfortunately, in Libya, the deception was laid bare. There was no school. No opportunity. Only violence and coercion.
She was forced into prostitution, beaten when she resisted, and told she owed $5,000 to be free. After two years of abuse and imprisonment, she was eventually rescued through the efforts of her cousin and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). “Human traffickers are everywhere, even within our trusted circles,” she warns.
Her testimony brought a visceral reality to the figures presented at the meeting, where NAPTIP announced that it has rescued and rehabilitated over 25,000 victims of human trafficking nationwide. Of these, 23 have become university graduates and six are now employed by the Agency itself.
“NAPTIP currently operates 14 shelters nationwide,” said Mr. Josiah Emerole, speaking on behalf of the agency’s Director General, Ms. Binta Bello. These shelters offer comprehensive support including medical care, psychological counseling, vocational training, and reintegration assistance.
The Agency has recorded over 13,595 cases of trafficking, with 11,394 arrests and 721 convictions to date.
But beyond statistics, the survivor’s voice reminded all in attendance that behind every number is a human life irreversibly altered.
Policy Gap
Dr. Saraswati Dawadi of the UK’s Open University emphasized the urgent need for evidence-based research and policy. “There is a huge gap between policies and practice,” she noted, particularly highlighting how many victims, especially young girls, lack basic education and English proficiency, barriers that continue to limit their rehabilitation.
Another resource person at the event, Dr. Margaret Ebubedike added a sobering detail: 88% of trafficking returnees are women and girls, most of whom were trafficked for sex. “We must look inwardly at gender vulnerabilities,” she said, urging for parliamentary advocacy groups focused solely on trafficking.
Her remarks pointed to a worrying gap in East and West African legislative bodies, where the issue lacks dedicated attention despite its magnitude.
Addressing the menace in Nigeria
Human trafficking is not limited to international borders. Mr. Lambent Oparah, Executive Director of Golden Hope International Foundation, recounted his team’s discovery of a trafficking ring operating in a house in Abuja’s Area 1. Young children, brought in under the guise of domestic work, were being exploited.
“Many survivors fall back into trafficking because they lack means of livelihood,” Oparah said. “We must break that cycle through skills training and job opportunities.”
The need for strong Collaboration between
The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, represented by a staff of the Commission, Dr. Sule Bassi, stressed the need for greater collaboration between law enforcement, the judiciary and policymakers. “We must fast-track prosecution and provide adequate budgets for anti-trafficking programs,” he said, emphasizing that Nigerian youth remain the most vulnerable demographic.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hammed Abodunrin of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps posed a critical question: why are NGOs leading public education efforts, while many Nigerian universities remain silent?
“Prevention is better than cure,” he said, calling on academic institutions, security agencies, and government bodies to integrate trafficking awareness into education and civic programs.
The urgent need for Action
As the survivor’s voice echoed through the conference hall, it served as both a warning and a plea for action. “No one should fall for fake promises of education and jobs abroad,” she said, urging young Nigerians to be wary of deceptive opportunities and for authorities to secure the nation’s porous northern borders.
Her journey from hope, to horror and finally to healing is a powerful reminder that Nigeria’s fight against trafficking must be holistic, evidence-driven and survivor-centered. It is a battle that demands the involvement of every sector because behind each statistic lies a life, a voice and a future still worth saving.
