The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has intercepted 12 trafficked children who were on their way to Lagos State.
The victims, who were intercepted in Abuja, were handed over to the Nasarawa State government.
Moses Unongo, NAPTIP’s head of operations in the state, stated that the victims, aged between 10 and 23 years, were lured by a cleric from Ninghar village in Akwanga local government area of Nasarawa.
According to Unongo, the cleric promised the victims profitable jobs in Lagos and quality education for the minors among them.
Unongo stated that investigations were ongoing to uncover more facts about the perpetrator and urged parents to educate their children about the dangers of trafficking.
He stated NAPTIP’s commitment to sensitizing the public to prevent them from falling victim to trafficking.
Aisha Rufai Ibrahim, the commissioner for women affairs and social development in Nasarawa State, received the victims on behalf of the state government.
Rufai commended NAPTIP for its efforts in combating trafficking and reiterated the state government’s zero-tolerance stance on trafficking.
She stated the state’s enactment of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition bill as a measure to curb the activities of traffickers