Over 25,000 Kidnapped Nigerian Women and Girls Are Stuck In Mali – NAPTIP

There are reportedly around 25,000 Nigerian women and girls who have been trafficked and are currently in captivity in Mali, according to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

This figure was disclosed on Tuesday, at a workshop for media professionals in Lagos, by Nduka Nwanwenne, Commander of NAPTIP's Benin Zone.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the goal of the workshop was to strengthen the capabilities of those who attended so that they may better educate others about the perils of human trafficking.

Action against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in Nigeria (A-TIPSOM) and the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAP) co-hosted the event.

Nduka Nwanwenne explained that the victims in this group were drawn to Malian men because of their higher disposable income compared to that of Nigerian guys.

“The second major reason is that Malian men are proud of sleeping with women from Nigeria, the giant of Africa.”

According to Nwanwenne, from 2004 and May of 2023, NAPTIP rescued 20,660 victims and apprehended 604 people traffickers.

Mr Federico Millan, a Spanish police officer and team leader for FIIAPP and A-TIPSOM, stated, "Prevention is important in tackling human trafficking, and the media is a major channel for creating awareness and protecting victims."

According to Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, the Director General of NAPTIP, the top five countries where Nigerians are trafficked are Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and India.

Waziri-Azi made the announcement on Tuesday in Abuja, during the first meeting of the Joint Technical Working Group for the Nigeria-Gambia Memorandum of Understanding to combat human trafficking, particularly the exploitation of women and children.

Waziri stated, "Top countries where Nigerians are trafficked in order of scale include Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and India. In 2022, as an agency, we received 1,440 reported cases, of which 412 were external trafficking cases and 1,028 were internal trafficking cases. We rescued and received 2,743 victims, out of which 1,454 were female adults, 688 were female children, 363 were male adults, and 233 were male children."

“Victims of human trafficking were 45; returned victims from outside Nigeria were 251; and intercepted victims from various border points were 1,484. Top on the list for trafficking in persons was sexual exploitation, followed by labour exploitation and domestic servitude."

“As a country, we have scaled our efforts to tackle this crime through our five broad strategic approaches of prevention, protection, prosecution, partnership, and policy.”

Isatou Dabo, executive director of The Gambia's National Agency against Trafficking in Persons, also spoke at the meeting and said that the MOU was a significant milestone in the two countries' joint efforts to end human trafficking in both Nigeria and Gambia.

"Collaboration is important because it will enable us to enhance our capacities and strengthen our efforts in the fight against the trafficking of persons. We believe the partnership will bring about groundbreaking impacts.”