NAPTIP warns students against human trafficking through social media

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has warned secondary school students in Ogun State to be cautious of human traffickers using social media platforms to lure young people with false promises of jobs, scholarships and better opportunities abroad.

The warning was issued by the Commander of the NAPTIP Ogun State Command, Bose Jimoh, during a sensitisation programme held at Igbusi Comprehensive High School in Iyana Ilogbo, Ifo Local Government Area.

Jimoh said human trafficking syndicates have increasingly shifted their recruitment activities to digital platforms, where they target unsuspecting youths through fake employment offers, fraudulent educational opportunities and deceptive online relationships.

She urged students to verify information before engaging with strangers online, warning that many victims are recruited through social media without realizing they are being targeted by criminal networks.

According to NAPTIP, victims of human trafficking often face various forms of exploitation, including forced labour, sexual exploitation, debt bondage, cyber blackmail and, in some cases, organ harvesting.

Jimoh called on students to report suspicious online contacts to their parents, teachers or security agencies instead of responding to unsolicited offers promising quick wealth or opportunities overseas.

The awareness campaign forms part of the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), implemented by NAPTIP in collaboration with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) with support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

As part of efforts to strengthen anti-trafficking awareness in schools, NAPTIP inaugurated its 32nd Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Persons Vanguard Club at the school. The club is expected to serve as a peer education platform where students will promote awareness of human trafficking and related crimes.

The agency said more than 40,000 students across Ogun State have so far been sensitised under the programme. It added that 150 teachers have also received training to incorporate anti-human trafficking education into classroom teaching in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and the Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

NAPTIP urged parents, teachers and community leaders to pay close attention to changes in children’s behaviour and online activities, while encouraging members of the public to report suspected trafficking cases through the agency’s emergency short code, 627.