NAPTIP rescued 68 victims of human trafficking and arrested 62 suspected traffickers in Akwa Ibom State in 2025, raising fresh concerns over the state’s deepening trafficking crisis.
The Uyo Zonal Commander of the agency, Mr Ubong Ekwere, disclosed this on Thursday in Uyo during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Ekwere said 51 of the rescued victims were females, while 17 were males. Five victims—two males, one female and two babies—are still receiving care at NAPTIP’s shelter, while others have been reunited with their families.
He revealed that the command handled 58 trafficking cases during the year, with five transferred from the police, four from the Department of State Services (DSS), two from the Nigeria Immigration Service and 47 handled directly by the Uyo command.
Despite the scale of the problem, Ekwere said only two convictions were secured, while 22 cases remain in court at various stages of prosecution. He, however, expressed confidence that more convictions would follow to serve as a strong deterrent.
Describing Akwa Ibom as an endemic hub for human trafficking, the zonal commander warned of a disturbing new trend involving the sale of babies, which he described as a grave crime against the state.
He urged parents and guardians to be alert to traffickers’ tactics, particularly promises of greener pastures for young girls, which often end in child labour or prostitution.
Ekwere said NAPTIP would intensify aggressive sensitisation across churches, mosques, schools and rural communities to expose trafficking networks and protect vulnerable children.
He called on state and local governments, corporate organisations and well-meaning individuals to support the agency, lamenting the absence of an operational vehicle to patrol the state’s 31 local government areas.
The commander commended sister security agencies for intelligence sharing and warned traffickers to desist, stressing that Akwa Ibom and Nigeria were no longer safe for the crime.
