By Our Correspondent
LAGOS/Nigeria: Two suspected victims of human trafficking rescued during a Nigerian Navy operation in Lagos have been placed in the custody of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in what authorities described as another effort to dismantle trafficking networks operating within Nigeria’s maritime corridor.
The victims were intercepted by personnel of the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Badagry, during a targeted operation conducted on July 17 within the command’s operational area before being handed over to NAPTIP’s Lagos office on Sunday for investigation, rehabilitation and other statutory support.
The Commanding Officer of FOB Badagry said the victims were taken into protective custody immediately after the operation and processed in accordance with the Harmonised Standard Operating Procedures for handling victims of human trafficking.
He explained that the victims were first taken to the Western Naval Command Maritime Crime Investigation Desk, where documentation and biometric capture were completed before they were transferred to NAPTIP officials in Ikeja.
According to him, the handover reinforces the growing collaboration between the Nigerian Navy and NAPTIP in tackling human trafficking and other organised crimes along the country’s waterways.
The naval officer said the Navy remains committed to disrupting trafficking syndicates while ensuring rescued victims receive the protection, rehabilitation and support guaranteed under Nigerian law.
He added that FOB Badagry would continue to work with security and law enforcement agencies to deny criminal groups the freedom to operate within Nigeria’s maritime environment.
The Commanding Officer said the sustained operations align with the strategic directives of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, to strengthen maritime security and combat transnational crimes across the nation’s coastal waters.
Human trafficking remains a major security and humanitarian concern in Nigeria, with traffickers increasingly exploiting land and maritime routes to move victims. Security agencies have continued to strengthen inter-agency cooperation to disrupt the networks while improving protection for survivors.
