Human trafficking has gone digital – FG

The federal government has expressed worry that human traffickers are increasingly using digital platforms to lure and exploit victims, describing it as a fast-evolving and borderless threat that demands urgent action.

Speaking at the 27th National Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Human Trafficking held in Abuja on Wednesday, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, said Nigeria must respond with equal speed and innovation.

“Trafficking has gone digital. We must act fast or risk being outpaced by criminals who now use sophisticated online tools to recruit, control, and exploit victims,” he said.

Fagbemi described human trafficking as the third most profitable criminal enterprise globally—after drug and arms trafficking—and called for stronger legal, institutional, and technological responses.

Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Adamu Bello, noted that the agency is already ramping up its digital capabilities.

“Our fight has moved online, and so has our response,” she said, revealing that over 160 data officers had been trained nationwide, while new digital tools had been introduced for case tracking and coordination.

Bello said more than 7,000 victims were rescued and rehabilitated between 2022 and 2024, with 205 convictions secured within that period.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Representative commended Nigeria’s efforts, stressing that “policy means nothing without local action.”