The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on Tuesday shut down a hotel in the Kwali area of Abuja after uncovering a human trafficking operation.
The agency also rescued 11 underage girls suspected to be victims of sexual exploitation.
Officials arrested the hotel owner, while other staff members managed to escape.
The operation took place a month after NAPTIP rescued another group of trafficking victims from a private apartment in Abuja.
In a separate incident, NAPTIP intercepted 13 young women at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as they were about to board a flight to Iraq.
The women, aged between 19 and 39, were reportedly deceived by illegal recruiters who promised them jobs abroad.
The agency received a tip-off about their suspicious movement at the airport and intervened.
NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Bello, expressed concern over the growing number of trafficking cases.
She warned parents to be cautious about job offers that sound too good to be true.
Investigations revealed that the victims were promised $250 monthly wages but were required to surrender a large portion of their salaries to agents in both Nigeria and Iraq.
Many victims in similar situations have ended up being exploited, underpaid, or even harmed by their employers.
Bello assured that NAPTIP would continue to track and arrest those behind these illegal activities.
She called for stronger cooperation among security agencies, airlines, and airport officials to prevent more people from falling into trafficking traps.
