NAPTIP, UK Government partner to support trafficking survivors

*The British High Commission, in Abuja, Nigeria, discloses the landmark ‘survivor‑centred’ programme has highlighted the emerging global crisis of human trafficking into cyber‑enabled scam operations in South-East Asia

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in partnership with the British High Commission (BHC) convened a landmark survivor‑centred event Monday, February 23, 2026, in Abuja, FCT.

The programme highlighted the emerging global crisis of human trafficking into cyber‑enabled scam operations in South-East Asia.

Leo Stan Ekeh remains leading Nigerian ‘pioneering innovator’ –Tinubu

The event tagged, “Confronting the Global Scam Centre Crisis: Perspectives of Nigerian Survivors”, attracted recently repatriated Nigerian nationals, who were deceived with fraudulent job offers and trafficked to Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

According to the UK Mission, several people were forced into conducting sophisticated cyber‑fraud schemes under exploitative and abusive conditions.

READ ALSO Electricity: TCN Completes Repair Of Shiroro-Mando Power Transmission Line 2

Leo Stan Ekeh: Life Lessons From Africa’s Great Entrepreneur, Digital Icon And Humanist

Nigeria’s Budget Office Clarifies Executive Order 9 Promotes ‘Constitutional Fidelity’

The programme followed the successful joint efforts of NAPTIP, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok, and the British NGO EDEN, whose coordinated action—including on‑the‑ground triangulation at the Thai–Myanmar border and welfare visits to affected nationals in Bangkok’s Immigration Detention Centre (IDC)—enabled the safe rescue and return of 23 Nigerian survivors earlier this month.

According to the UN OHCHR’s 2026 report “A Wicked Problem”, credible sources estimate that at least 120,000 people are currently being held in forced scam operations inside Myanmar, with the total rising to over 300,000 across Southeast Asia. Survivors identified in the report originate from at least 66 countries.

Between 2020 and 2025, 74 percent of known victims trafficked into scam centres worldwide were taken to Southeast Asia after being promised high‑paying jobs.

The UK Mission also noted the event provided a protected platform for survivors to voluntarily describe in their own words how they were recruited, the coercive conditions inside scam compounds, and their journeys towards safety and recovery.

Onyinye Madu, Senior Press and Public Affairs Officer at the British High Commission, in a statement Monday, also quoted Gill Lever, OBE, UK Deputy High Commissioner to Abuja, to have said: “We are here today to listen to survivors who have shown remarkable bravery in sharing their experiences.

“The UK is working closely with NAPTIP, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EDEN and IOM to ensure survivors receive trauma‑informed care and safe repatriation.”

Lever stated: “Their courage will help prevent others from being harmed, and we stand firmly with Nigeria and all African Commonwealth partners in confronting this rapidly evolving threat.”

In her contribution at the event, Mrs. Kehinde Akomolafe, Director of Public Enlightenment, representing the Director-General of NAPTIP, said: “The courage these survivors have shown in sharing their stories is remarkable.

“Their experiences expose the brutal reality of trafficking into scam centres, a crime that strips people of their dignity and freedom.”

Mrs. Komolafe noted: “NAPTIP is committed to protecting Nigerian citizens from this growing threat and grateful for the steadfast support from our partners in ensuring survivors receive the comprehensive support they need to heal and rebuild their lives.”

The statement further noted one of the survivors, said: “I was promised opportunity, a good job and a chance for a better life.

“Instead, I was trapped and forced to do things that went against everything I believe in, while living in constant fear.”

The survivor stated: “I am sharing my story so that other Nigerians can recognise the warning signs and protect themselves.

“No one should have to endure what we experienced.”

Kindly Share This Story