Eight women have been rescued in Kano after NAPTIP operatives intercepted a suspected trafficking attempt.
Two alleged traffickers were linked to the network, with one already in police custody.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it has rescued eight women and arrested two suspected traffickers during a recent operation in Kano State.
According to the Kano State Commander of NAPTIP, Abdullahi Babale, the rescue followed an operation that uncovered a cross-border trafficking network. He explained that the women, whose ages range from 18 to 43, were intercepted on October 1 at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport. They were attempting to board a flight to Saudi Arabia when the agency’s operatives intervened.
Babale said initial findings showed that the victims were being moved for labour exploitation by two Ghanaian nationals. He revealed that six of the women were travelling with one-way tickets, raising further suspicion. While one of the alleged traffickers was taken into custody, the other suspect managed to escape arrest and is still being tracked.
The commander also recalled that earlier this year, the agency rescued two other women who had been trafficked from Kano to Burkina Faso for sexual exploitation. He stressed that NAPTIP remains committed to prosecuting all traffickers once investigations are concluded.
Babale added that the rescued women would receive counselling and rehabilitation before being reunited with their families. He appealed to parents and guardians to pay closer attention to their children, warning that traffickers often take advantage of economic challenges to lure victims with false promises of better opportunities abroad.
