Edo State remains epicentre of sexual exploitation — NAPTIP warns

Edo State Human Trafficking Alert issued as NAPTIP warns of rising exploitation, labour trafficking, and organ harvesting across Nigeria

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has raised fresh concern over rising cases of human trafficking in Edo State, describing the region as a persistent hotspot for sexual exploitation and warning that traffickers are adopting increasingly sophisticated methods.

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Edo State Human Trafficking Alert was issued on Tuesday during a training session for Parent-Teacher Association executives drawn from 40 schools across the state.

The programme was held in Benin City and focused on strengthening community-level prevention strategies.

Mr Sam Offiah, Zonal Commander of NAPTIP in Benin, represented by Mrs Joy Ojiewa of the agency’s Public Enlightenment Unit, said traffickers have expanded their operations beyond traditional recruitment methods, now relying on deception and trust-based manipulation within families and communities.

Offiah warned that cases of labour trafficking and organ harvesting continue to rise, while criminal networks increasingly use fake scholarships, fraudulent job offers, sextortion schemes, online recruitment tactics and so-called baby factories to target vulnerable individuals.

He stressed that poverty, ignorance and the search for better opportunities remain key drivers of vulnerability, adding that traffickers are now directly targeting parents in a bid to access children.

According to him, prevention through awareness remains the most effective response, supported by stronger protection mechanisms, prosecution efforts, strategic partnerships and improved policing.

Edo Trafficking Alert was further reinforced by Ms Daniella Ige, Junior Project Officer for the School Anti-Human Trafficking Education and Advocacy (STEAP) initiative under the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Edo State.

Ige said the programme aims to position parents as the first line of defence against trafficking, noting that traffickers are increasingly deploying deceptive schemes aimed at entire households rather than individuals alone.

She explained that the STEAP project, implemented in collaboration with NAPTIP, the Girls Power Initiative and the Edo State Ministry of Education, is funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and designed to dismantle trafficking networks through grassroots awareness campaigns.

“We cannot succeed without parents. When they understand the tactics traffickers use, they can stop exploitation before it happens,” she said.

Ige added that PTA executives are expected to sustain advocacy efforts within their communities, turning awareness into coordinated action against trafficking.

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She also noted that the initiative is already recording measurable impact across participating communities.

Mariam Balogun