About 1,200 victims of human trafficking were reunited with their families in one year, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has said.
NAPTIP revealed this in a three-year performance overview spanning September 2021 to September 2024.
Released in November 2024, the review covers the tenure of NAPTIP’s immediate past Director-General, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi.
The agency revealed that it reunited 1,198 trafficked victims across its offices nationwide from September 2023 to September 2024, most of these reunifications occurring in 2024.
In September 2023, the agency rescued 101 victims, which rose slightly to 105 in October and 112 in November.
However, December 2023 saw a significant dip, with only 81 victims rescued.
The new year started with 88 victims rescued in January 2024, which climbed to 109 in February but slightly declined to 95 in March.
April 2024 recorded the lowest number during this period, with only 67 victims rescued.
May marked a significant increase with 160 victims rescued, followed by 116 in June, and peaking at 164 in July 2024, the highest monthly figure during the reporting period.
Those rescued received support, including shelter, legal assistance, mental health counselling and reintegration services before being reunited with their families, the report said.
In obtaining justice for VoTs and gender-based violence, NAPTIP said between January 2022 and August 2024, it secured 190 human trafficking convictions, accounting for 27.94 per cent of all such convictions achieved by the agency in 21 years.
It also recorded 20 convictions for rape and domestic violence within the same period, representing 74.07 per cent of all such convictions obtained by the agency since 2015.
Among these are high-profile cases, including life imprisonment sentences for some offenders.
Three offenders were handed life imprisonment sentences for rape. Seven offenders received prison terms of 10 years or more, including the high-profile case of Felicia Osaigbovo, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison alongside a N24m fine for trafficking Nigerian girls to Belgium for sexual exploitation.
Meanwhile, 11 offenders were sentenced to terms ranging from five to nine years, such as Patricia Igbinovia, who, in January 2024, was convicted of facilitating the trafficking of five victims to Spain and sentenced to seven years in prison with a N1m fine.
For lesser offences, 12 offenders received sentences between one and four years, often combined with fines or compensations. In some cases, fines alone were imposed, ranging from N250,000 to N24m.
In the report, NAPTIP’s immediate past chief, Waziri-Azi, attributed these to enhanced collaboration with local and international partners.
“These convictions are a testament to the agency’s unwavering commitment to justice and the resilience of survivors who courageously participated in the prosecution process,” she said.
On the nature of exploitation, most VoTs primarily faced forced labour and sexual exploitation. Further details from the IOM showed that 1,114 victims, predominantly females (82 per cent), were exploited through forced labour and sex trade exploitation.