By Stephen Angbulu
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons on Sunday warned the public against accepting job offers from entities masquerading as oil and gas companies.
It identified this as a new ploy by suspected human traffickers who are exploiting coordinated global brand trademarks and offering unrealistic oil and gas job offers to traffic unsuspecting persons between 15 and 35 years to neighbouring West African countries for various forms of exploitation.
“Under the guise of lucrative employment opportunities in gold mining and oil companies, victims are enticed with promises of monthly incomes as high as $900, which, as always, are blatant lies,” said the Director-General of the Agency, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, in a statement Sunday.
NAPTIP’s Chief Communications Officer, Adekoye Vincent, revealed this in a statement on Sunday titled ‘Beware of fake oil and gas jobs in West African countries.’
While discussing emerging trends in human trafficking for 2024, Waziri-Azi said, “Victims are often instructed to bring up to N850,000 for documentation and other logistical expenses.
“Upon arrival at their destination, traffickers confiscate this money, along with the victims’ phones and other personal belongings.
“The targeted demographic includes male and female victims aged between 15 and 35 years old. They are typically trafficked through the waterways of Ode Jetty in Lagos en route to Benin Republic and other parts of the West African region. Some victims are also trafficked via land routes.”
Waziri-Azi reiterated her earlier appeal to Nigerians, saying, “I urge you to exercise caution, ask questions, and seek a second opinion before accepting tempting offers. Do not allow desperation to cloud your judgment.”
She explained that the agency has doubled efforts through enhanced partnership, collaboration, diligent prosecution, and extensive awareness campaigns to bolster its operations, resulting in a significant increase in convictions of human traffickers.
“As part of our comprehensive enlightenment strategies to equip Nigerians with timely and accurate information to reduce their vulnerability, we have received reports indicating that traffickers have adopted new tactics to lure unsuspecting victims, predominantly to Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and other West African nations,” she said.
The DG said NAPTIP remains committed to combating human trafficking and protecting the rights and dignity of all Nigerians, urging the public to report suspected cases of human trafficking.
