First Lady urges vigilance against online scams fuelling human trafficking

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday called for increased vigilance to identify and report online scams targeting young Nigerians.

She described human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery that had evolved beyond its traditional forms to exploit victims through online scams, forced criminality and transnational organised crime.

In a message to mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which falls on July 30, the First Lady said the year’s global theme, ‘Trapped Behind the Scam,’ drew urgent attention to a fast-growing dimension of human trafficking that was ensnaring increasing numbers of young Nigerians, including educated graduates, through fraudulent overseas employment and investment offers that led them into exploitation and forced criminality.

She called on individuals, communities and institutions to remain vigilant against the evolving tactics of traffickers.

She said, “Let us remain vigilant, protect the vulnerable, and ensure that no one falls victim of exploitation.

“Through collective action, we can build a safer society where every person can live in freedom, dignity, and hope. We say ‘no’ to human trafficking today.”

The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed annually on July 30 since it was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013, is designed to raise awareness of the plight of trafficking victims and promote and protect their rights.

Nigeria remains one of the highest-burden countries for human trafficking in the world, serving simultaneously as a country of origin, transit and destination.

According to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, approximately 156 victims had been rescued since January 2026 alone, with over 300 others repatriated from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in 2025.

The agency’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, disclosed last week that over 300,000 people were being trafficked annually into scam compounds across Southeast Asia, with victims forced under threat of violence to run romance scams, crypto fraud and investment schemes targeting victims in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

The scam compound model, in which traffickers lure educated young Nigerians with promises of jobs in information technology, digital marketing and cryptocurrency trading before confiscating their passports on arrival and forcing them to commit online fraud, has emerged as one of the most rapidly growing trafficking trends in recent years.