The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, has called for a comprehensive, multi-agency strategy to effectively tackle human trafficking in Nigeria.
Speaking at the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and the 28th National Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Human Trafficking, Fagbemi described human trafficking as a sophisticated, profit-driven, and highly organized criminal enterprise that crosses national borders and requires a unified response.
Represented by the Director of Research and Project Development, Victoria Ojogbane, the AGF emphasized that combating this crime demands strong partnerships and coordinated efforts across multiple sectors. He noted that experts from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies—including the Armed Forces, law enforcement, justice, social welfare, and international partners—contributed their insights to develop a holistic and intelligence-led approach.
Fagbemi highlighted that human trafficking cannot be addressed by any single agency or sector in isolation due to its transnational and structured nature. Perpetrators are primarily motivated by economic gain and employ organizational structures that shield both leaders and members from detection, prosecution, and sanction.
He pointed out the significant threat human trafficking poses to national security, explaining that Nigeria functions as a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking victims. This crime threatens individuals, families, communities, and the nation at large. The AGF stressed the immense profitability of human trafficking, which generates billions of dollars annually worldwide.
The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Hajiya Binta Adamu, also spoke at the forum, drawing attention to evolving trafficking tactics. She described emerging loan-for-sex trafficking schemes where women are deceived with fake online loan offers and coerced into sexual exploitation. She also highlighted fake job offers and scholarship scams where traffickers lure young people with promises of employment or education abroad but subject them to forced labor or sexual exploitation upon arrival.
The AGF’s call for a multi-faceted approach underscores the complexity of human trafficking and the urgent need for a coordinated, multi-sectoral response to effectively combat and dismantle trafficking networks in Nigeria.
