The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has rescued 18 alleged human trafficking victims in Kano.
A T Yayaji, the states’ NIS Assistant Comptroller, confirmed the news to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Kano.
He stated that the victims were recovered by the service on April 26 at 1:30 p.m. near Zaria Road and Kurna/Rijiyar Lemo along the Kano-Katsina Road.
“The victims were rescued by officers and men from the Operation Squad (ANTI-SOM) Unit in response to an intelligent report of an unusual suspected migrant smuggling movement.”
Yayaji said, None of the victims had any travel documents, and it is clear that they were attempting an illegal border crossing.
According to Yayaji, the victims who ranged in age from 21 to 43 and included four males and 14 ladies, were apprehended while on their way to Libya via Niger Republic in search of greener pasture.
He stated that the victims were from the states of Edo, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Enugu, Lagos, and Delta, and that they had been given over to the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to be reunited with their families following counseling.
While asking inhabitants of the state to report incidents of trafficking and other associated criminal actions to appropriate authorities, Yajaji recommended parents to refrain from sending their
children to seek greener pastures in another nation in order to safeguard them from slavery and organ harvesting, among other things.
