Nearly 100 human trafficking victims rescued in SE Nigeria

LAGOS: JULY 31 – About 100 human trafficking victims have been rescued as 50 suspected traffickers arrested in southeast Nigeria since January, an official said on Friday.

The victims, mostly children, were exposed to sexual exploitation, child labour, violence, and baby harvesting, amongst other crimes, said Nneka Ajie, zonal coordinator of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in the southeastern state of Enugu.

At an event marking the 2021 World Day Against Human Trafficking on Friday, she said some of the rescued victims had been reunited with their families and some traffickers were being prosecuted.

She said human trafficking appears to be endemic in the zone, which has been regarded as a place of origin, transit and destination for human traffickers.

-XINHUA