NGThe National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Nigeria revealed that over 300,000 individuals are trafficked annually into online scam operations across Southeast Asia, generating approximately $64 billion for criminal networks. Director-General Binta Adamu Bello highlighted that victims come from around 66 countries, predominantly Western and developed nations, with a significant portion of scam compounds located in the Mekong region. She warned that this form of cyber-enabled trafficking is expanding into Nigeria and other African countries, emphasizing the need for increased vigilance. The trafficking process involves recruitment via online platforms, digital grooming using encrypted apps, payments through informal financial systems, and eventual relocation to scam locations like Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. Victims face passport confiscation, threats, debt bondage, and psychological manipulation, often forced into romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and investment schemes. This issue aligns with the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons theme, 'Trapped Behind the Scam,' underscoring the role of technology in modern human traffck
Bias read (Center): While the subject matter is politically charged due to its implications for international crime and national security, the article presents factual disclosures from NAPTIP without overtly partisan language. It focuses on data and quotes from officials rather than taking a clear ideological stance. N
