The federal government expressed concerns that traffickers are increasingly using digital platforms to attract and exploit victims, describing it as a rapidly developing and borderless threat that requires urgent action.
At the 27th National Stakeholder Advisory Forum in Abuja on Wednesday, Federal Attorney General and Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi San said Nigeria must respond with equal speed and innovation.
“Trafficking has become digital. We must act quickly, otherwise the risk is over criminals who are now using complex online tools to recruit, control and exploit victims,” he said.
Fagbemi describes human trafficking as the world’s third-largest profitable criminal enterprise, following drug and weapon trafficking – calling for increased legal, institutional and technical response.
Binta Adamu Bello, Director-General of the State Ban on Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), noted that the agency is already improving its digital capabilities.
“Our battles have moved online, and so have our reactions,” she said, revealing that more than 160 data officials have been trained nationwide, while new digital tools have been introduced for case tracking and coordination.
Bello said more than 7,000 victims were rescued and recovered between 2022 and 2024, with 205 convictions during that period.
The representatives of the United Nations Drugs and Crime (UNODC) countries praised Nigeria’s efforts and stressed that “there is no local action and policy means nothing.”
