NAPTIP busts interstate sex trafficking ring in Katsina

|By Adejumo Adekunle-

-Three young women rescued as hotel manager, staff arrested
-Agency intensifies surveillance on hotspots nationwide

The Katsina State Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has dismantled a notorious interstate human trafficking syndicate and rescued three young women allegedly forced into prostitution.

The agency also arrested three suspected traffickers—including a hotel manager and two staff members—believed to be part of a network that recruits and traffics young women from different parts of Nigeria to the northern region for sexual exploitation.

NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday. He said the arrest followed a coordinated sting operation at a popular hotel in Katsina township, where the victims—aged between 21 and 26—were rescued. Two of the rescued women hail from Benue State, and one from Rivers State.

The raid was carried out as part of a nationwide directive by NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, who had earlier ordered intensified surveillance and intelligence gathering to curb the rising tide of human trafficking across state lines.

According to the statement, “The Director General had earlier asked that operatives pay close attention to activities around hotels, drinking joints, and motor parks in state capitals to disrupt criminal networks.”

The suspects are currently in custody and will be charged once investigations are concluded. Meanwhile, the victims are receiving counselling and rehabilitation.

The agency reaffirmed its commitment to rooting out traffickers and called on the public to report suspicious activities in their communities.