Report says the Nigerian Navy's Badagry unit in Lagos State has rescued nine victims of suspected human trafficking and handed them over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
Lt. B.C. Awodeyi, the Base Information Officer, confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that the Navy’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) transferred the victims to NAPTIP for further investigation.
According to him, the rescue operations took place between October 11 and 13, 2024. On October 11, at around 4:21 p.m., the Navy’s Quick Response Team (QRT) intercepted a fibre boat carrying passengers from Mile 2, Lagos, to Panshi Jetty. During a routine stop-and-search operation at the jetty, five young women, aged 19 to 32, were found among the passengers. They were suspected to be victims of human trafficking, as they revealed they had no knowledge of their final destination.
"They said they had been given a contact number to call upon arrival at Panshin, where someone would take them to the Republic of Benin and Ghana with promises of a better life," Awodeyi stated.
Two days later, on October 13, at around 3:15 p.m., another fibre boat en route to Panshi Owode was intercepted at Tongeji Island, Badagry. Four more women, aged 19 to 24, were found onboard. They, too, were suspected trafficking victims who were unaware of their destination. Similar to the first group, they had been instructed to contact someone who would transport them to Guinea and Togo.
All nine victims were handed over to NAPTIP’s Ikeja Zonal Office in Lagos on Tuesday. The case is now under investigation for possible prosecution.
Lt. Awodeyi noted that the operations followed the Harmonised Standard Procedures on Arrest, Detention, and Prosecution of 2016. She emphasized that the Navy’s actions reflect its commitment to ensuring maritime security in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea, in line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s Strategic Directive for 2023-2026.
