The Nigerian Navy‘s Badagry unit in Lagos State don hand over nine suspected human trafficking victims to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
According to Lt. B.C. Awodeyi, the Base Information Officer, the interception happen between October 11 and 13, 2024. On October 11, around 4:21 p.m., the Base Quick Response Team at the T-Junction in Badagry intercept a fibre boat carrying passengers from Mile 2, Lagos to Panshi Jetty. During the stop and search, dem discover five young women among the passengers who be suspected victims of human trafficking.
These women, wey be between 19 and 32 years old, tell the Navy say dem no know their final destination. Dem say dem get a contact number to call upon arrival at Panshin, where someone go take dem to the Republic of Benin and Ghana with promises of a better life.
Two days later, on October 13, 2024, around 3:15 p.m., another fibre boat carrying passengers was intercepted by the same QRT at Tongeji Island, Badagry. Four young women, aged 19 to 24, were also discovered on board, suspected of being trafficking victims. These women too no know their destination and had been instructed to call a contact number upon arrival, with plans to transport them to Guinea and Togo.
The Nigerian Navy hand over all nine victims to NAPTIP’s Ikeja Zonal Office in Lagos on Tuesday for further investigation and potential prosecution.
This action follow the Harmonised Standard Procedures on Arrest, Detention, and Prosecution of 2016, and it highlight the Navy’s commitment to ensuring maritime security within its Area of Responsibility, in line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s Strategic Directive 2023-2026.
