The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has dismantled an inter-state human trafficking syndicate operating in Katsina, arresting three suspects and rescuing three young female victims forced into prostitution.
In a statement on Wednesday, NAPTIP spokesperson Vincent Adekoye revealed that the suspects were apprehended during a raid on a well-known hotel in Katsina metropolis. Also arrested were the hotel manager and two staff members alleged to have aided the operation. The victims, aged between 21 and 26, hail from Benue and Rivers States.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the syndicate was a major supplier of girls to brothels and trafficking networks, including routes extending into neighboring countries.
The operation followed a nationwide directive by NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, urging heightened surveillance and intelligence-gathering, particularly in hotels, bars, and motor parks—locations increasingly exploited by traffickers.
According to Adekoye, the victims were found confined in a small room within the hotel complex, while the traffickers occupied a separate, well-furnished space where they were reportedly enjoying the proceeds of exploitation.
Narrating their ordeal, one of the victims said they were lured with the promise of legitimate employment but were coerced into prostitution upon arrival. “We sleep with up to 20 men a day. Even when we are sick or menstruating, we’re forced to continue. They give us energy drinks to keep going. We don’t keep any money—we’re left to fend for ourselves,” she said tearfully.
The victims also alleged that the traffickers hired men to monitor their movements, further restricting any chance of escape.
Reacting to the development, NAPTIP’s DG condemned the complicity of hotels in human trafficking crimes and vowed that the implicated hotel would face sanctions in accordance with anti-trafficking laws.
“I commend our operatives for this successful operation. These young women were trafficked and abused, while their traffickers profited from their pain within the same premises. We are taking legal steps against the hotel, and justice will be served,” Bello stated.
