First Lady urges vigilance against online scams fuelling human trafficking

Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called for heightened vigilance to identify and report online scams that are increasingly used to facilitate human trafficking. She described human trafficking as a modern form of slavery that has evolved to exploit victims through online schemes, forced criminality, and transnational organized crime. Marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the First Lady highlighted the global theme, 'Trapped Behind the Scam.' This theme draws urgent attention to a rapidly growing dimension of human trafficking that ensnares numerous young Nigerians, including educated graduates. They are lured by fraudulent overseas employment and investment offers, which ultimately lead to exploitation and forced criminality. Senator Tinubu urged individuals, communities, and institutions to remain vigilant against the evolving tactics of traffickers. "Let us remain vigilant, protect the vulnerable, and ensure that no one falls victim of exploitation," she stated. "Through collective action, we can build a safer society where every person can live in freedom, dignity, and hope. We say ‘no’ to human trafficking today." Nigeria is identified as one of the countries with the highest burden of human trafficking, serving as a source, transit, and destination for victims. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) reported that approximately 156 victims were rescued since January 2026, with over 300 repatriated from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in 2025. NAPTIP Director-General Binta Adamu Bello noted that over 300,000 people are trafficked annually into scam compounds in Southeast Asia, where they are forced to run romance scams, crypto fraud, and investment schemes targeting victims in the US, UK, and Canada. The scam compound model, where traffickers use promises of IT, digital marketing, or cryptocurrency jobs to lure educated Nigerians before confiscating their passports and forcing them into online fraud, has become a significant and rapidly growing trafficking trend.

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Let us remain vigilant, protect the vulnerable, and ensure that no one falls victim of exploitation.