By Favour Ulebor, Abuja
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued and repatriated 23 Nigerian youths from Thailand after they were trafficked to Southeast Asian countries for cyber-enabled crimes.
In a press statement signed by Vincent Adekoye, Head of Press and Public Relations, on Wednesday, the agency said the victims were deceived, recruited, and sent to countries like Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia to engage in romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and investment scams.
NAPTIP said the victims were targeted because of their intelligence, computer, and IT skills, and a clean bill of health.
Speaking on the operation, Director General Binta Adamu Bello, OON, said, “This is a new dimension of the human trafficking phenomenon that targets vibrant and intelligent Nigerians.
“The trafficker goes after boys and girls who have one skill or the other, but preferably computer and IT skills, and those who do not drink alcohol or smoke. They promised them a scholarship and gainful employment.
“On arrival at the destination Country, the victims are trained on various methods of scam. Some of them are enrolled in a language school, preferably Chinese, and graduate as translators as quickly as possible, then are offered the role of Customer Care to deceive their targets.
“The victims explained that they were compelled to target individuals and organizations from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, and Canada for romance scams, investment scams, cryptocurrency scams, and other online fraud.
“They disclosed that they were accommodated in a hostel with bunks and provided with all the necessary gadgets, and are forced to go after their targets. They are monitored by fierce-looking mafia guys who also torture any of them who refuse to meet their daily targets.
“The Victims also explained that while a few of them who refused to do the bidding of the traffickers are tortured to death inside the horror chamber called ‘the dark room’, others had their organs harvested, especially the young ones with non-smoking history.
“This is a new dimension in trafficking to destination Countries in the Southeast Asian Region, and it is disturbing. We have reactivated our various connections so that, with the support of partners, this deadly trafficking syndicate will be dislodged and the ringleaders arrested.”
NAPTIP thanked civil society organizations in the South Asia Region, Eden (Myanmar), the British Government, and the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok for facilitating the victims’ repatriation, including the issuance of Emergency Travel Certificates.
According to the DG, this operation underscores the agency’s renewed onslaught against organized criminal networks targeting vulnerable Nigerians.
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