The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) yesterday said human trafficking has evolved beyond sexual exploitation and forced labour into cyber-enabled scam operations, with tech-savvy young graduates now the fastest-growing group of victims.
Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, disclosed this at a press conference ahead of the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, themed “Trapped Behind the Scam.”
Bello said the agency rescued 156 trafficking victims between January and July, in addition to over 300 victims repatriated from Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in 2025. She said NAPTIP has also disrupted several trafficking-linked scam centres nationwide. 
According to her, young Nigerians, particularly skilled graduates, we’re being lured abroad with false job offers in IT, digital marketing, cryptocurrency trading, gaming and telecommunications.
On arrival, mostly in parts of Asia, their passports are seized and they are coerced through violence, debt bondage or psychological pressure into running online scams targeting victims worldwide.
The victims themselves become prisoners trapped behind computer screens, false promises, organised criminal networks, and fear, Bello said.
She said criminal networks now exploited social media, encrypted platforms, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence to recruit and control victims, adding that large scam compounds operate mainly in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, with similar hubs emerging in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Victims there are coerced into romance scams, crypto and investment frauds targeting victims in the U.S., UK, Canada and Ethiopia, she added.
Citing global data, Bello said over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, generating an estimated $64 billion, with victims drawn from 66 countries.
On prosecutions, she said NAPTIP has secured 839 convictions since its establishment, including 47 recorded this year. She urged Nigerians to verify overseas job offers and avoid unofficial recruitment channels.
Also speaking, UNODC Country Representative, Cheikh Toure, said trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunities are scarce, noting that job seekers and young people are most vulnerable to exploitation. He called for stronger investment in youth skills development, job creation and inclusive economic growth as a frontline defence against trafficking, alongside law enforcement.
