Mmperatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Katsina State Command, have dismantled an inter-state human trafficking network and rescued three young women who had been coerced into prostitution.
The agency disclosed that three suspects believed to be part of the trafficking syndicate — which allegedly specialises in recruiting, harbouring, and trafficking young women from different parts of the country to the North for sexual exploitation — were arrested during the operation.
According to a statement issued on 9 July 2025 by NAPTIP Press Officer Vincent Adekoye, the arrests were made at a well-known hotel in Katsina township (name withheld), where the three victims were also rescued. The hotel manager and two staff members were taken into custody during the raid. The victims, aged between 21 and 26, are from Benue and Rivers States.
The operation followed a recent directive from the agency’s Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, who instructed operatives across the country to ramp up intelligence gathering and surveillance in response to the growing threat of inter-state trafficking.
Adekoye stated, “The Director General had earlier asked that operatives pay close attention to activities around hotels, drinking joints, and motor parks in state capitals to disrupt criminal networks.”
He further noted that the victims were discovered in a cramped, poorly maintained room within the hotel complex, while the traffickers were located in a separate, well-furnished room — allegedly enjoying the proceeds of the illicit trade.
One of the victims shared her harrowing ordeal with NAPTIP officers after the rescue:
“I was brought here by a woman (name withheld). She promised to give us a job and said we would be paid very well. I asked her the nature of the job, but she said I would find out when I got here. When we arrived, she introduced us to prostitution, which was not what we were told,” she said.
“We sleep with at least 20 men every day, and all the money goes to the chairlady of the place, called Amarachi. Even during our monthly period or when we are sick or tired, they force us to sleep with men. They told us our feelings don’t matter—only the money. They even give us Fearless energy drinks every night to keep us going,” she added in tears.
The victim also revealed that the traffickers not only took all their earnings but also employed men to guard them, ensuring they couldn’t escape or seek help.
Reacting to the development, NAPTIP Director General Binta Adamu Bello condemned the role of some hotel operators in aiding human traffickers.
“I wish to commend the operatives of NAPTIP in Katsina for the raid and rescue of the victims. Their stories are painful and sad. They were deceived, recruited, trafficked, and forced into prostitution. While they faced horror every day, their traffickers were somewhere within the same hotel, feeding fat on the proceeds of the exploitation,” Bello said.
She emphasized that the hotel involved will face full legal consequences in line with Nigeria’s anti-trafficking laws.
“It is also important to reiterate our earlier warning about hotel operators aiding and abetting human trafficking. We have commenced legal proceedings to determine the next course of action for the hotel. The law shall definitely take its course,” she added.