The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has pointed accusing fingers at grinding poverty, ignorance and shrinking economic prospects as the oxygen sustaining human trafficking in Nigeria.
Speaking in Kano at a two-day Gender and Safeguarding training with emphasis on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), organised by Self Help Africa, the Kano Zonal Commander, Mr. Abdullahi Babale, painted a grim picture of how desperation is driving many youths into the waiting arms of traffickers.
Babale noted that widespread unemployment and scarce vocational opportunities have turned countless young Nigerians into easy prey.
According to him, when survival becomes a daily battle, sweet-talking traffickers find fertile ground, dangling glittering promises of better lives that often end in chains.
He explained that the lack of steady income streams leaves many young people clutching at straws, making them susceptible to false hopes of overseas jobs and improved living standards that exist only on paper.
Beyond empty stomachs, Babale said empty classrooms are equally dangerous. He identified poor access to quality education as a major catalyst fueling the scourge.
“Limited access to education reduces awareness and critical thinking, thereby increasing the vulnerability of children and youths to traffickers,” he said.
The commander further pointed to the thriving appetite for cheap and compliant child labour within the informal sector, alongside easier migration routes enabled by modern communication and transport systems, as factors worsening the crisis.
He observed that the burning desire among some youths to chase greener pastures abroad has inadvertently pushed many from the frying pan into the fire, as trafficking syndicates exploit their ambitions.
Babale did not spare institutional weaknesses, lamenting inadequate political will and fragile enforcement structures that blunt the sword meant to cut down trafficking networks. Such gaps, he said, weaken efforts to rescue victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
He warned that behind the glossy promises lies a nightmare, as victims often endure brutal maltreatment, sexual abuse, torture, exposure to diseases and deep emotional scars that linger long after physical wounds heal.
According to him, traffickers tighten their grip using a cocktail of intimidation, threats, violence, deception, debt bondage, social isolation and identity manipulation. Blackmail and fabricated job offers, he added, are routinely deployed to secure the trust and cooperation of both victims and their families.
Calling for a united front, Babale urged stronger public enlightenment campaigns, broader access to education and robust economic empowerment initiatives to choke the lifeline of traffickers.
He also appealed to communities, parents and stakeholders to work hand-in-hand with security agencies, stressing that timely reporting of suspected cases could mean the difference between freedom and a life of exploitation.
