The National agency for the prohibition of trafficking in persons (NAPTIP) has rescued eight women and arrested two suspects in Kano State during operation on a cross-border trafficking syndicate.
The Kano State Commander of NAPTIP, Abdullahi Babale confirmed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
He said the victims, aged between 18 and 43, were intercepted on October 1 at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport as they attempted to travel to Saudi Arabia.
“Preliminary investigation revealed they were to be trafficked for labour exploitation by two Ghanaian nationals,” Babale said, revealing that six of the women held a one-way tickets. He added that while one of the suspects has been arrested, the other remains at large.
Babale also disclosed that the agency rescued two other women earlier this year who had been trafficked from Kano to Burkina Faso for sexual exploitation.
He assured that all suspects would be prosecuted after investigations are completed while the rescued women will undergo counselling and rehabilitation before being reunited with their families.
He urged parents to remain vigilant, stressing that traffickers often exploit economic hardship by luring victims with promises of jobs abroad.
