The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Bello, has warned that human traffickers are now targeting young Nigerians with computer and IT skills for technology-enabled crimes across Southeast Asia.
Gatekeepers News reports that Bello disclosed this after the rescue and repatriation of 23 suspected trafficking victims from Thailand, barely weeks after she pledged to intensify the agency’s anti-trafficking operations and deepen international collaboration.
According to her, the victims were rescued through a joint operation involving Nigeria, Myanmar and the United Kingdom, aimed at dismantling an organised criminal cartel believed to be recruiting young Nigerians for cyber-fraud operations abroad.
In a statement issued by NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, Bello said the victims were deceived, recruited and trafficked to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where they were forced to engage in romance scams, cryptocurrency-related fraud and investment scams.
“This is a new dimension of the human trafficking phenomenon that targets vibrant and intelligent Nigerians,” Bello said.
“Traffickers seek out boys and girls with skills, preferably in computer and IT, and those who do not drink alcohol or smoke, promising them scholarships and gainful employment.”
Forced into cyber scams
Bello explained that the victims were subjected to systematic exploitation upon arrival in their destination countries.
“The victims are trained in various scamming methods, with some enrolled in language schools, particularly Chinese. They quickly graduate as translators and are employed as customer care representatives to deceive their targets,” she said.
She added that the victims were forced to target individuals and organisations in the United States, United Kingdom, Ethiopia and Canada, while living under strict surveillance.
“They lived in hostels under strict monitoring by traffickers, who tracked their performance and punished those who failed to meet daily targets,” Bello said.
NAPTIP said the consequences for resisting traffickers were severe.
“Those who resisted the traffickers were tortured or even killed in what is referred to as ‘the dark room,’ while others suffered organ harvesting, particularly the younger ones with clean recreational histories,” she stated.
Calling the development deeply disturbing, Bello said:
“This troubling development in trafficking in Southeast Asia calls for urgent action. We have reactivated our connections to dismantle this deadly trafficking syndicate with the support of our partners.”
International support
Bello also thanked international partners for their support, saying:
“NAPTIP appreciates the support from civil society organisations in the South Asia region such as Eden in Myanmar, the British Government, and the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok, which played a crucial role in facilitating the victims’ repatriation and securing Emergency Travel Certificates for some of them.”
