By Oso Abidemi
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has raised the alarm that human traffickers are now targeting Nigerian youths with computer and IT skills for cyber-enabled crimes across Southeast Asia.
NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, disclosed this after the agency rescued and repatriated 23 suspected victims of human trafficking from Thailand in a major international operation.
According to a statement issued by NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, the rescue was carried out through collaboration between Nigeria, Myanmar and the United Kingdom, targeting an organised criminal cartel believed to be recruiting young Nigerians for online scams.
Bello said the victims were deceived, recruited and trafficked to countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where they were forced into cybercrimes including romance scams, cryptocurrency-related fraud and investment scams.
“This is a new dimension of the human trafficking phenomenon that targets vibrant and intelligent Nigerians,” she said.
Bello explained that traffickers deliberately seek out boys and girls who are skilled in computer and IT, particularly those who do not smoke or drink alcohol, and lure them with promises of scholarships and employment opportunities.
She added that upon arrival, victims are trained in scamming methods, with some enrolled in language schools, especially Chinese before being deployed as translators and customer care agents to deceive targets.
The NAPTIP boss said victims were made to target individuals and organisations in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Ethiopia and Canada.
She described the conditions as brutal, noting that the victims were kept in hostels under strict surveillance and punished if they failed to meet daily scam targets.
Bello further revealed that those who resisted were allegedly tortured or killed in what traffickers refer to as “the dark room,” while others, particularly younger victims were exposed to organ harvesting.
“This troubling development in trafficking in Southeast Asia calls for urgent action,” she said, adding that NAPTIP has reactivated its international networks to dismantle the syndicate behind the operations.
Bello also commended civil society groups in the region, including Eden in Myanmar, as well as the British Government and the Nigerian embassy in Bangkok, for supporting the rescue operation and facilitating the victims’ repatriation, including the issuance of Emergency Travel Certificates.
