The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Oyo State Command, has announced the successful arrest of five suspected human traffickers who have been engaging in the illegal act of luring unsuspecting victims in Ibadan. Comptroller Mohammed Umar, the NIS Comptroller in the state, disclosed this during a handover ceremony of the suspects to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at its headquarters in Ibadan on Thursday.
Comptroller Umar revealed that NIS and NAPTIP have been working together to combat human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in the state, which has yielded successful results, such as the arrest of the five suspects in Ibadan. The Comptroller also added that NAPTIP had requested NIS to carry out a joint operation to raid the hideout of the suspected human trafficking syndicates upon discovering their illegal activities.
Out of the 10 suspects arrested during the raid, five of them were confirmed to be members of a syndicate that specializes in luring mostly Ghanaians by disguising themselves as legitimate agents who can bring them to Nigeria, particularly Ibadan, and facilitate their travel to Canada. However, upon arriving in Ibadan, the victims were deceived and given network marketing businesses instead of being taken to Canada, which led them to complain to NAPTIP.
Comptroller Umar emphasized that the NIS would continue to work towards halting human trafficking in Nigeria and ensure that those responsible for such illegal activities are brought to justice. He also advised Nigerians to be cautious and not fall victim to these syndicates due to the current situation in the country and the world at large.
The Head of NAPTIP in Oyo State, Augustine Akanya, while receiving the suspects, stated that the agency would conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that the suspects are prosecuted if found guilty. This is a commendable collaboration between the NIS and NAPTIP in combating human trafficking and other forms of illegal activities in Nigeria