The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has uncovered a human trafficking network luring Nigerian youths to Southeast Asia for forced participation in cybercrime, rescuing and repatriating 23 victims from Thailand.
The victims, described as young and technologically skilled Nigerians, were allegedly deceived with promises of scholarships and lucrative job opportunities abroad. Instead, they were trafficked to countries including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where they were compelled to engage in sophisticated online fraud operations targeting victims across multiple continents.
NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, characterised the development as a significant and troubling shift in trafficking patterns, noting that criminal syndicates are increasingly targeting educated and skilled youths.
“This represents a disturbing evolution in the trafficking landscape,” Bello said. “Perpetrators are no longer preying solely on vulnerable or unskilled individuals. They now deliberately recruit intelligent young people with IT and computer expertise, often those with clean health records, under the guise of scholarships and professional placements.”
According to the agency, upon arrival in their destination countries, the victims were trained in cyber-enabled crimes, including romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud and fraudulent investment schemes. Some were reportedly enrolled in language programmes, particularly Chinese, and later deployed as translators or customer service agents to communicate with and deceive foreign targets.
The rescued youths disclosed that they were kept in heavily guarded facilities and subjected to strict surveillance. They were assigned daily fraud quotas and faced threats, intimidation and physical abuse for failing to meet targets or comply with instructions.
Some victims further alleged that those who resisted were tortured, while others reported threats of organ harvesting, particularly against younger recruits considered to be in good health.
NAPTIP stated that the rescue operation was conducted in collaboration with civil society organisation Eden (Myanmar), with support from the British Government and the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok, which facilitated emergency travel documentation for the victims.
Bello reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to dismantling organised trafficking syndicates behind the scheme, stressing that efforts are underway to strengthen international partnerships and intelligence-sharing mechanisms to ensure those responsible are identified and prosecuted.
The 23 rescued Nigerians have since returned to the country and are undergoing profiling, counselling and rehabilitation as investigations continue.
The agency also cautioned parents, guardians and young professionals to exercise due diligence regarding overseas job or scholarship offers, particularly those involving travel to unfamiliar destinations without verifiable documentation.
The development highlights growing concerns over the convergence of human trafficking and transnational cybercrime, as criminal networks increasingly exploit digital skills to expand illicit operations across borders.
