TheDiggerNews
Uyo, Akwa Ibom (Nigeria): The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) announced it rescued 68 victims and arrested 62 suspected human traffickers in Akwa Ibom State in 2025.
Uyo Zonal Commander, Mr. Ubong Ekwere, announced this Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo.
Of the rescued victims, 51 were female and 17 male, Ekwere said.
He clarified that, of the 68 victims, five—comprising two males, one female, and two babies—remained in the agency’s shelter, while the rest had already been safely reunited with their families.
“Five victims are still there in our shelter, which comprises two males, one female, and two babies,” Ekwere said.
Ekwere also disclosed that during the year under review, the command received 58 trafficking cases.
“Of the 58 cases, 5 came from police, 4 from DSS, 2 from the Nigeria Immigration Service, and Uyo Command handled 47 directly,” he said.
The command secured two convictions, while 22 cases remain pending in court.
“We expect to secure more convictions this year to serve as a deterrent to human traffickers in the State,” he said.
The zonal commander said that the command would continue to embark on aggressive sensitization to churches, mosques, schools, and rural communities to expose the dangers of human trafficking and traffickers’ antics to the people.
He expressed displeasure that Akwa Ibom had been an endemic state for human trafficking.
Ekwere called on State and Local Government authorities to join hands with NAPTIP to ensure the fight against human trafficking is won.
He urged parents and guardians to be vigilant as there was a new trend of human trafficking in the state, which involved the selling of babies.
He stressed that it was a very serious crime against the state, and anyone caught would face the full wrath of the law.
He called for state and local government involvement, stressing that vulnerable children are from these areas.
He appealed to parents and guardians to be mindful of those coming to take their young girls with the intention of greener pastures, stressing that they might end up in child labour or prostitution.
The zonal commander called on the State Government, well-meaning individuals, and organizations in the state to jointly support the agency’s fight against human trafficking, as the federal government could not do so alone.
The zonal commander urged traffickers to desist from such acts, as the state and country were no longer safe for such erroneous crime.
He called on stakeholders to collaborate with NAPTIP to eradicate human trafficking, especially child theft, from the state.
He thanked security agencies for their cooperation and intelligence sharing to curb human trafficking.
He lamented that the command had no operational vehicle to move across the state’s 31 local government areas and appealed for urgent support from the state government and multinational organizations. Ekwere emphasized that only through collaboration and enhanced resources can the state hope to completely eradicate human trafficking and safeguard vulnerable citizens.
