The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has disclosed that over the past two decades, 640 individuals have been convicted and 20,660 individuals have been rescued.
The commander of NAPTIP's Benin zonal command, Nduka Nwanwenne, made this known during a three-day workshop aimed at developing a standardized reporting template for members of the Trafficking in Persons Media Corps.
Nwanwenne, who focused on the emerging tactics and trends of human trafficking in the South-South region, reported that 40 individuals have been convicted this year alone.
Breaking it down further, he said as of May 2023, 604 individuals have been convicted, 9,102 suspected traffickers have been arrested, 20,660 victims have been rescued, and 11,291 cases have been reported.
Nwanwenne stated that the South-South region is particularly affected by human trafficking, citing that 80 individuals were convicted in the previous year.
However, NAPTIP expressed concern that many Nigerian returnees have had their organs forcibly removed while being sedated before being brought back to Nigeria.
The Director of Intelligence Training and Manpower Development at NAPTIP, Arinze Orakue, revealed this distressing information during the workshop.
Orakue explained that this situation came to light when the health of some Nigerian returnees was assessed upon their arrival in the country. The screening revealed that some of them had already lost their vital organs before returning.
Further investigations showed that the criminals had drugged the survivors by lacing their food and drinks, leading to the harvesting of their organs without their knowledge.
Orakue noted that the majority of the victims are irregular migrants and displaced persons, making them vulnerable to mistreatment and exploitation by these criminals.
According to Orakue, the majority of the victims are irregular migrants and displaced Persons. As a result, they are subjected to any kind of ill-treatment by the criminals who then exploit them.
"We got to know about the incident when they are brought back home by the International Organisation for Migration.
"Immediately they are brought back home, through their medical screening, we got to know what happened to the returnees. Many of them were surprised to find incisions on them and discovered that their organs had been harvested by the criminals.
"The criminals are not only harvesting kidneys, but they also take bile, pancreas among others. Those who returned safely should thank God. But in this part of the world, we are quick to classify these people as ritual killers who cut off the breasts of young girls, but, it is a serious business in countries like Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, India, and presently in South Africa where organs business are thriving."
An international organisation, the International Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP) has expressed its positive and collaborative relationship with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The team lead of FIIAPP, Federico Milan, made this known to journalists during a sideline interview at the event.
Milan emphasized that the fight against human trafficking and other societal problems in Nigeria requires a collective effort involving FIIAPP and NAPTIP.
"In the past, we have three units fighting against trafficking in Persons in Spain, especially those coming from Nigeria and other nationalities, our national police are doing well to reduce the numbers of traffickers coming in without proper documentation.
"Now we have one unit of Police in Spain dedicated to the fight against trafficking, the police have been productive to reduce the numbers of traffickers who are coming from North African Countries using Spain as transit." He said
