News as it breaks
Three Nigerian pilgrims detained in Saudi Arabia over alleged drug trafficking have been released after weeks of diplomatic engagement, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) confirmed on Wednesday. The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the pilgrims — Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu,…
Three Nigerian pilgrims who were detained in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking have been released following a comprehensive investigation and diplomatic engagement by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The NDLEA announced their release on Wednesday at a press briefing in Abuja, confirming that Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi,…
Rescued Libya Returnee Warns Nigerian Youths: “Do Not Travel Through Dangerous Routes” A Nigerian returnee from Libya, Mercy Oluwagbenga, has issued a passionate warning to young Nigerians never to embark on irregular migration, describing her harrowing ordeal as modern-day slavery. “Whatever your situation, do not travel through…
The ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs (DHSA), has reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating human trafficking in West Africa as it joined the global community in commemorating the 2025 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. This year’s theme, “Human Trafficking is Organized Crime – End the…
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has raised alarm over the growing nexus between wildlife trafficking and other transnational crimes, revealing that the illicit trade is now closely tied to money laundering, arms smuggling, and illegal financial flows. Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, made the disclosure on Thursday during…
In a sweeping crackdown on narcotics trafficking, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have made multiple high-profile seizures, including cocaine stashed in lipsticks and property documents, and busted major drug syndicates operating across Nigeria. In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that the agency’s…
A Nigerian-Australian woman, Binta Abubakar, has been arrested and charged with multiple human trafficking offences in Australia after allegedly luring students from Papua New Guinea (PNG) with fake scholarships and forcing them into unpaid farm labour. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed that the 56-year-old was apprehended on Wednesday, June…
In Nigeria, a nation where countless dreams of better futures abroad too often devolve into tragic realities, the battle against human trafficking remains one of the country’s most urgent and complex challenges. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has positioned itself at the forefront of…
“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…
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has successfully received another group of 13 Nigerian trafficking victims — 12 young women and a five-year-old boy — who were rescued from Ghana and Mali in a continued effort to combat human trafficking and modern-day slavery. According to the Commission, the victims repatriated…
