The Federal Government has said Nigeria must fundamentally rethink its approach to fighting human trafficking as organised criminal syndicates increasingly move from traditional forms of exploitation to sophisticated online recruitment, cyber-enabled fraud and forced criminality.
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Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, stated this on Thursday during the national commemoration of the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in Abuja.
Fagbemi, who was represented by the Director of Research, Planning and Statistics in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Victoria Ojogbane, said the changing pattern of human trafficking requires stronger laws, closer inter-agency collaboration and deeper international cooperation.
He said traffickers are increasingly exploiting technology, digital platforms and cross-border criminal networks to evade justice, stressing that government institutions must respond with better coordination, intelligence sharing and effective prosecution.
According to him, the Federal Government is determined to strengthen Nigeria’s legal and institutional framework to confront emerging trafficking patterns, especially those linked to online scams, cybercrime and transnational organised crime.
The Attorney-General said the government would continue to support coordinated intelligence sharing, improved victim protection, effective prosecution and stronger partnerships with development partners and neighbouring countries to dismantle trafficking syndicates.
The renewed commitment comes amid growing evidence that traffickers are abandoning conventional methods and using fake employment offers, scholarships, business opportunities and migration promises to lure unsuspecting victims into exploitation.
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Binta Bello, said the evolution of trafficking has become one of the greatest challenges facing law enforcement agencies.
She warned that the internet has become one of the most powerful recruitment tools for criminal organisations.
According to her, traffickers now prey on unemployment, poverty and the desire for better opportunities, particularly among young Nigerians, using sophisticated online deception to recruit victims before exploiting them within and outside the country.
Bello said the theme of this year’s commemoration, “Trapped Behind the Scam,” reflects the changing face of trafficking in persons and the urgent need for governments, technology companies, financial institutions and civil society organisations to work together against criminal networks operating across borders.
The keynote speaker and Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Cheikh Toure, warned that the world is witnessing the convergence of trafficking in persons, cybercrime, money laundering and financial fraud into a single transnational criminal enterprise.
He said victims are increasingly deceived through social media and online advertisements promising lucrative jobs or educational opportunities abroad, only to end up trapped in scam compounds where their identity documents are seized, their movements restricted and their lives controlled.
Toure said many victims are forced to run romance scams, investment fraud and cryptocurrency schemes targeting people across the world.
The UN official disclosed that research conducted by UNODC across 21 Nigerian states found increasing evidence that traffickers are exploiting digital platforms to recruit victims.
He added that consultations with communities and survivors showed that false employment offers and migration promises have become major recruitment tactics.
Toure further revealed that Nigerians are increasingly being trafficked into scam compounds overseas, while similar patterns of forced online criminality are beginning to emerge within Nigeria.
He said the development has compelled authorities to broaden investigations beyond cybercrime to include trafficking, financial investigations and victim identification.
To strengthen Nigeria’s response, UNODC announced that it had supported the establishment of a joint Operational Task Force involving NAPTIP and the Nigeria Immigration Service under the European Union-funded PACTS project.
The task force is expected to coordinate intelligence gathering, preserve digital evidence, trace criminal proceeds and improve cross-border investigations.
UNODC also unveiled a five-point support programme focused on victim protection, intelligence-led investigations, financial tracking of criminal proceeds, regional cooperation and preventive interventions aimed at reducing the vulnerability of young people to traffickers.
The event was attended by senior government officials, diplomats, security chiefs, development partners, civil society organisations and anti-trafficking advocates.
Participants agreed that defeating modern trafficking requires treating it not only as a migration or law enforcement problem, but as a complex security, justice and development challenge that demands sustained national and international action.
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