NAPTIP Busts Southeast Asia Cybercrime Trafficking Network, Rescues 23 Nigerians
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has uncovered a new human trafficking route that channels Nigerian youths to Southeast Asia for forced involvement in cybercrime, leading to the rescue and repatriation of 23 victims from Thailand.
The victims, described as mostly young, educated and tech-savvy Nigerians, were allegedly lured abroad with promises of scholarships and lucrative job opportunities. Instead, they were trafficked to countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where they were coerced into participating in organised online fraud operations targeting victims across multiple continents.
Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, said the development reflects a dangerous shift in trafficking patterns, with criminal syndicates now deliberately targeting skilled and educated youths.
“This represents a disturbing evolution in the trafficking landscape,” Bello said. “Traffickers are no longer focusing only on vulnerable, unskilled persons. They are now recruiting intelligent young people with computer and IT skills, especially those with clean health backgrounds, under the cover of scholarships and professional opportunities.”
According to NAPTIP, the victims were trained on arrival to carry out cyber-enabled crimes, including romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud and fake investment schemes. Some were enrolled in language programmes, particularly Chinese, and later deployed as translators or customer service agents to manipulate and deceive foreign targets.
The rescued youths revealed that they were kept in tightly controlled compounds under armed surveillance, given daily fraud targets and subjected to threats, intimidation and physical abuse for non-compliance.
In some cases, victims alleged that those who resisted were tortured, while others reported threats of organ harvesting, especially against younger recruits considered to be in good health.
NAPTIP said the rescue operation was carried out in collaboration with the civil society organisation Eden (Myanmar), with critical support from the British Government and the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok, which facilitated emergency travel documentation for the victims.
The agency noted that the operation forms part of its intensified crackdown on organised trafficking syndicates. Bello reaffirmed NAPTIP’s resolve to dismantle the networks behind the scheme and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“We are strengthening our international partnerships and intelligence-sharing mechanisms to identify, disrupt and prosecute these criminal networks,” she said.
The 23 rescued Nigerians have since arrived safely in the country and are currently undergoing profiling, counselling and rehabilitation, as investigations continue.
NAPTIP also warned parents, guardians and young professionals to exercise caution over overseas job and scholarship offers that appear too good to be true, especially those involving travel to unfamiliar destinations without verifiable documentation.
The development highlights growing global concerns over the convergence of human trafficking and transnational cybercrime, as criminal groups increasingly exploit digital skills to expand their cross-border illicit operations.
