- The victims have since been handed to the National Agency for Prohibition in Trafficking of Persons (NAPTIP).
- The service said the victims were rescued between February last year and july this year
No fewer than 52 trafficked victims have been intercepted and rescued in Nigeria’s northwest state of Kebbi, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has said.
According to the NIS, the victims have since been handed to the National Agency for Prohibition in Trafficking of Persons (NAPTIP).
The service said the victims were rescued between February last year and july this year.
The Kebbi NIS Controller, Rabi Bashir Nuhu, made the disclosure while addressing journalists during a briefing to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the service.
She said that upon her assumption of office in February last year, the command succeeded in intercepting many youths, mostly girls, that were being planned for trafficking to Libya through the Illela border in Sokoto State.
She said, “We also intercepted many illegal immigrants trying to move in and out of Nigeria through the Kebbi borders.”
She noted that what was more worrisome was that most of the victims of human trafficking were youths that had no knowledge of what awaited them on their way and in Libya where they were being trafficked to.
She added that the service was carved out of the police in 1958.
Meanwhile,the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, has disclosed that illegal immigrants are the ones perpetration most of the criminal activities in Nigeria.
The Kwara State Comptroller of NIS, Aminu Shamsuddin, made the disclosure on Tuesday during the 60th anniversary of the Service in Ilorin.
He stated that the country is surrounded by francophone countries, whose nationals are vulnerable and desperately seek to stay in Nigeria.
He further underscored the need for NIS to take extra measures to scrutinise every immigrant at the entry point.