How NAPTIP Rescued 23 Nigerians Trafficked to Thailand For Cyber Scams

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued and repatriated 23 Nigerian youths suspected to be victims of human trafficking from Thailand.

According to a statement signed by the Head of the Press and Public Relations Unit, Vincent Adekoye, the operation was carried out in collaboration with Eden (Myanmar), with critical support from the British Government and the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok, which facilitated the repatriation process, including the issuance of Emergency Travel Certificates for some of the victims.

He said the victims were deceived and recruited in Nigeria before being trafficked to Southeast Asian countries including Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

They were allegedly exploited for cyber-enabled crimes such as romance scams, cryptocurrency-related fraud and investment scams in their countries of destination.

The rescue comes weeks after the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, vowed to intensify efforts against human traffickers through stronger collaboration and enhanced strategies to dismantle trafficking syndicates operating within and outside Nigeria.

Bello described the trend as a disturbing new dimension of human trafficking that targets educated and skilled young Nigerians, particularly those with computer and information technology skills.

“This is a new dimension of the human trafficking phenomenon that targets vibrant and intelligent Nigerians,” she said.

“Traffickers go after boys and girls with one skill or the other, especially computer and IT skills. They lure them with promises of scholarships and gainful employment.”

She explained that upon arrival in the destination countries, the victims were allegedly trained in various scam techniques.

Some were enrolled in language schools, mainly to learn Chinese, before being deployed as customer care agents to deceive victims online.

Bello said the rescued youths disclosed that they were forced to target individuals and organisations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Ethiopia for romance, investment and cryptocurrency scams.

“They were accommodated in hostels with bunk beds, provided with gadgets and compelled to meet daily targets,” she said, adding that armed enforcers monitored them closely and subjected defaulters to severe torture.

The Director-General further disclosed that some victims who resisted were allegedly tortured to death in what was described as a “dark room,” while others, particularly young non-smokers, were said to have had their organs harvested.

Describing the revelations as deeply troubling, Bello said NAPTIP had reactivated its international networks to dismantle the syndicates behind the trafficking and bring their ringleaders to justice.

She commended the role of civil society organisations in South Asia, Eden (Myanmar), the British Government and Nigerian diplomatic officials in Thailand for their support and cooperation, noting that such partnerships were crucial to combating transnational human trafficking.