The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Daura Patrol Base, has rescued 22 victims of human trafficking intercepted along the Zango border area of Katsina State.
The Controller of the Jibia Border Command, Haruna Zakirai, disclosed this during a news briefing in Daura on Monday.
Zakirai said the rescue followed a tip-off from members of border communities who observed suspicious movements by suspected traffickers attempting to move the victims across the border.
According to him, officers of the Daura Patrol Base swiftly responded and intercepted the victims in an uncompleted building at Maibara village in Zango Local Government Area.
He said the victims comprised 11 males and 11 females, aged between 17 and 35 years, drawn from Lagos, Osun, Rivers, Kwara, Katsina, Imo, Ondo and Benue states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were being trafficked through irregular routes to Libya and later to Europe. They were lured with promises of better economic opportunities,” Zakirai said.
He described the tactic as a common ploy used by human trafficking syndicates and warned members of the public to be cautious of such offers.
Zakirai added that one of the victims is a Togolese national who will be repatriated to Togo after investigations are concluded.
He also revealed that the alleged kingpin of the trafficking syndicate, identified only as “Cargo,” escaped arrest and is currently at large.
The controller reaffirmed the NIS’s commitment to combating human trafficking, illegal migration and other trans-border crimes, urging the public to provide credible information to security agencies to aid ongoing efforts.
Cov/Isma’il Adamu
