The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has handed over 52 suspected human trafficking victims to the Zamfara State Government.
The NAPTIP State Coordinator, Aliyu Sarkin Sudan, while handing over the individuals to officials of the Zamfara State Substance Abuse Control and Prohibition of Human Trafficking Agency on Sunday, stated that the victims were from Anka and Talata-Mafara Local Government Areas of the state.
According to him, the 52 individuals, mostly aged between 17 and 25, were intercepted by troops of the Nigerian Army while on their way to Abuja for a supposed mining job. Among them was the suspected mastermind, identified as Bilyaminu, who remains in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) for further investigation.
Speaking to journalists after receiving the victims, the Executive Secretary of the Zamfara State Substance Abuse Control and Prohibition of Human Trafficking Agency, Ishaq Ibrahim Anka, confirmed that after a thorough investigation by the DSS, the individuals were handed over to NAPTIP for further action.
“We received 52 individuals from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Abuja, all of whom hail from Talata-Mafara and Anka local governments in Zamfara State.
“Today, we have officially handed them over to the respective local government chairmen to be reunited with their families,” Anka stated.
The handover marks a crucial step in addressing human trafficking in Zamfara State, as authorities continue their efforts to curb illegal migration and exploitation.
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