04.06.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Report on the current situation regarding trafficking ("Trafficking in Persons Report 2008") [ID 23438]

Document(s): Country Narratives: H through R
Full Report

21.05.2008 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Report on human trafficking of young women into prostitution in Europe, lured with the promise to work as maids, ("Porous border aids human trafficking") [ID 23266]

Document(s): Open document

04.2008 - Source: Danish Immigration Service

Report of Danish Immigration Service's fact-finding mission on human trafficking ("Protection of victims of trafficking in Nigeria; Report from Danish Immigration Service's fact-finding mission to Lagos, Benin City and Abuja, Nigeria; 9 to 26 September 2007") [ID 23272]

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Women and children were most at risk of being trafficked ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 19944]

"Women and children were most at risk of being trafficked. Boys were trafficked primarily to work as forced bondage laborers, street peddlers, and beggars, while girls were trafficked for domestic service, street peddling, and commercial sexual exploitation. Trafficking in children, and to a lesser extent in women, occurred within the country's borders. Children in rural areas were trafficked to urban centers to work as domestics, street peddlers, merchant traders, and beggars."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Information on how traffickers organise and which tricks they employ to deceive and intimidate their victims ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 19945]

"The UN Office of Drugs and Crime reported that individual criminals and organized criminal groups conducted trafficking, often involving relatives or other persons already known to the victims. Traffickers employed various methods during the year. Many were organized into specialties, such as document and passport forgery, recruitment, and transportation. To recruit young women, traffickers often made false promises of legitimate work outside the country. Traffickers also deceived child victims and their parents with promises of education, training, and salary payments. Once away from their families, children were subjected to harsh treatment and intimidation. Traffickers subjected victims to debt bondage, particularly victims forced into prostitution. In some cases traffickers employed practitioners of traditional magic to threaten victims with curses to procure their silence. Victims were transported by air, land, and sea. Established land routes to Europe transited Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Morocco."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Penalties for human trafficking ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 19946]

"The law prohibits human trafficking and provides for penalties including monetary fines, imprisonment, deportation, forfeiture of assets and passport, and liability for compensation to victims in civil proceedings. Imprisonment terms range from 12 months to life, while fines range from $375 (50,000 naira) to $1,500 (200,000 naira)."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Nigeria is a source, transit and destination country for trafficking ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23746]

"The country was a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons during the year. No government or NGO estimates on the extent of trafficking were available, but the magnitude of the problem was believed to be significant. This was based on several factors, including the number of deportees returned to the country and reports of Nigerians stranded along trafficking routes, particularly in North African countries. The largest segment of trafficking victims rescued by the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) came from Akwa Ibom and Edo states. In August 2006 the executive director of the Women's Consortium for Nigeria stated that the country, and Ogun State in particular, was a strategic location for traffickers engaged in sourcing, transit, and exporting persons to other countries. In 2005 the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that 40 percent of child street peddlers were trafficking victims."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Destinations and functions of trafficking victims ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23747]

"Nigerians were trafficked to Europe, the Middle East, and other countries in Africa for the purposes of forced labor, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation. Girls and women were trafficked for forced prostitution and domestic labor to Italy, France, Spain, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and countries in West and Central Africa. UNICEF estimated between 50,000 and 70,000 African female trafficking victims were in Italy for prostitution, of which 70 percent were from Nigeria. Children were trafficked for involuntary domestic and agricultural labor and street peddling within the country and to countries in West and Central Africa. Both women and children were trafficked to Saudi Arabia for the purposes of prostitution, sexual exploitation, and labor. There also were reports that trafficked children were used as camel jockeys in the Middle East."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Special agency against human trafficking ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23760]

"NAPTIP, a 200-employee agency with 60 investigators and 30 prosecutors dedicated to trafficking, bears primary responsibility for combating trafficking. The NPF and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) also had antitrafficking units. Following his election, President Yar'Adua dismissed the special assistant on trafficking named by former president Obasanjo."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Efforts of the government to fight trafficking ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23761]

"The government continued to devote resources to curb trafficking during the year but it was not enough to adequately combat the problem. Enforcement efforts continued to improve, the number of trafficking cases investigated and prosecuted during the year increased, and recordkeeping improved as NAPTIP, NPF, and NIS roles were more clearly defined through a series of NAPTIP‑sponsored meetings, conferences, training sessions, and networking events. [...]The NPF Antitrafficking Task Force was established in 2005 and staffed 22 units in states with the worst trafficking problems. Officials complained of inadequate resources, citing insufficient funding to support investigative field work."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Dispite information on complicity of police or immigration officials in trafficking, no officials were arrested or prosecuted ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23762]

"Reports continued from informants and foreign officials that law enforcement officers and individuals in the immigration and airport authorities collaborated in trafficking persons across the country's borders. NAPTIP was very active in providing sensitization, including to police and customs in attending training. The law provides punitive measures for officials who aid or abet trafficking; however, NAPTIP and NPF had found no evidence of official complicity, and no officials were prosecuted, tried, or convicted of trafficking-related charges. In 2006 one police inspector was arrested in Abuja for releasing two trafficking suspects after receiving specific orders to hold them, but he was later released due to lack of evidence."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Lack of help in assisting the victims ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23763]

"The government provided limited funding for assistance to victims. NAPTIP served as the point of contact for immigration and police officials when victims were found; 615 victims passed through the agency during the year. NAPTIP directly provided overnight shelter to victims, and agency officials connected victims to nongovernmental or international organizations for shelter, counseling, and reintegration assistance. NAPTIP maintained a hot line for victims and anyone seeking or wanting to provide information regarding trafficking. The hot line received approximately 50 calls during the year, which was significantly fewer than the 500 reported for 2006. This decrease was largely due to a change in the hot line number when NAPTIP headquarters was relocated and the government's inadequate effort to publicize the new number. During the year the government helped victims in some cases to repatriate to their home countries and reunited trafficked children with their families."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

No repatriation of trafficking victims in 2007 due to a lack of funding ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23764]

"The Ministry of Employment, Labor, and Productivity, in collaboration with the ILO, NAPTIP, the police, and other federal agencies, provided food, transportation, and other logistical assistance to reunite internally and externally trafficked children with their families. In 2006 the ministry used funding from the ILO International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) to repatriate 350 trafficked child laborers to their countries of origin; however, this funding was not available during the year, and the ministry did not repatriate any child trafficking victims during the year. The government continued to operate the 120-bed shelter in Lagos, with involvement by the International Organization for Migration and the American Bar Association. NAPTIP also operated shelter facilities at secure locations in Abuja, Benin City, Uyo, and Kano."

Document(s): Open document

30.01.2008 - Source: BBC News

Kano State: 105 children rescued from suspected traffickers handed back to their parents ("Nigerian children returned home") [ID 22639]

Document(s): Open document

10.12.2007 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

6 million children are estimated to be at risk of trafficking for domestic and forced labour, prostitution and pornography every year ("Stepping up the fight against child-trafficking") [ID 22643]

Document(s): Open document

18.06.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

Child trafficking has been identified as unremedied source of infections related to HIV, traumatic and psychiatric diseases and illnesses in children ("Child trafficking exposes children to high risk infection"), Autor: Government of Nigeria [ID 22109]

Document(s): Open document

12.06.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Nigeria is a source, transit and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation ("Trafficking in Persons Report 2007") [ID 20761]

"Nigeria is a source, transit and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Within Nigeria, women and girls are primarily trafficked for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation and boys for forced begging by religious teachers, forced street hawking, and labor exploitation in agriculture, mining, stone quarries, and as domestic labor. Transnationally, women, girls, and boys are trafficked to Nigeria from other West and Central African countries and from Nigeria to neighboring countries for the same purposes listed above. Nigerian women and girls are also trafficked to North Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Europe, most notably Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Norway, and in small numbers to the United States, for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation."

Document(s): Country Narratives: H through P
Full Report

12.06.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Prosecution of traffickers inadequate despite the 2003 Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act ("Trafficking in Persons Report 2007") [ID 20796]

"The Government of Nigeria continued to combat trafficking through modest law enforcement efforts during the last year. Nigeria prohibits all forms of trafficking through its 2003 Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act, which was amended in 2005 to increase penalties for traffickers, and its 2003 Child Rights Act. Prescribed penalties of five years' imprisonment for labor trafficking, 10 years' imprisonment for trafficking children for forced begging or hawking, and a maximum of life imprisonment for sex trafficking are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with penalties prescribed for rape. During the last year, the government reported 81 trafficking investigations, 23 prosecutions, and three convictions. Sentences imposed on traffickers were inadequate, however. Two convicted traffickers received two years' imprisonment, while the third was sentenced to only one year in prison. Two of the convictions were for sex trafficking, while the third was for child trafficking for forced begging. Responding to reports of authorities issuing fraudulent travel documentation, the government in September 2006 replaced its documentation staff and is prosecuting the suspects for fraud."

Document(s): Country Narratives: H through P
Full Report

12.06.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Nigeria provides a limited legal alternative to the removal of foreign victims of trafficking to countries where they face hardship or retribution ("Trafficking in Persons Report 2007") [ID 20797]

"The Government of Nigeria demonstrated steady efforts to protect trafficking victims during the year. NAPTIP continued to provide victims with short-term care in shelters in Lagos, Abuja, Benin City, Sokoto, Kano and Uyo, assisting 352 victims during the year. Although the government doubled its funding for anti-trafficking efforts in the last year, NAPTIP shelters are often short on food supplies and provide insufficient victim reintegration assistance. NAPTIP sometimes refers victims to UNICEF, IOM, or NGOs for reintegration assistance. The government encourages victims to assist in trafficking investigations by providing foreign victims with short-term residency and care and by routinely requesting victims' testimony against traffickers. Nigeria provides a limited legal alternative to the removal of foreign victims to countries where they face hardship or retribution - short-term residency that cannot be extended. Although victims are not inappropriately incarcerated, fined, or penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked, the government places foreign victims in shelters under guard until they are repatriated."

Document(s): Country Narratives: H through P
Full Report

06.2007 - Source: Freedom House

In 2004 government outlawed trafficking in human beings and set up an agency to deal with offenders ("Freedom in the World 2007") [ID 20577]

"Women’s rights have suffered serious setbacks in the northern states governed under Sharia. Human trafficking to, from, and within the country for purposes of labor and prostitution is a problem. The government in 2004 outlawed human trafficking and set up an agency to deal with offenders."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

The country was a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons during the year ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19942]

"The country was a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons during the year. No government or NGO estimates on the extent of trafficking were available, but the magnitude of the problem was believed to be significant. This was based on several factors, including the number of deportees returned to the country and reports of Nigerians stranded along trafficking routes, particularly in North African countries. The majority of trafficking victims rescued by NAPTIP came from Akwa Ibom and Edo states. In August the executive director of the Women's Consortium for Nigeria stated that the country, and Ogun State in particular, was a strategic location for traffickers engaged in sourcing, transit, and exporting persons to other countries. In 2005 the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that 40 percent of child street peddlers were trafficking victims."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Information on destination and purpose of trafficked persons ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19943]

"Nigerians were trafficked to Europe, the Middle East, and other countries in Africa for the purposes of forced labor, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation. Girls and women were trafficked for forced prostitution to Italy, France, Spain, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, and Niger. Children were trafficked for involuntary domestic and agricultural labor and street peddling within the country and to countries in West and Central Africa. Both women and children were trafficked to Saudi Arabia for the purposes of prostitution, sexual exploitation, and labor. There also were reports that trafficked children were used as camel jockeys in the Middle East. The country was a destination country for children trafficked for forced labor from other West African countries, primarily Benin."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) bears primary responsibility for combating trafficking ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19947]

"The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), a 200-employee agency with 60 investigators and 30 prosecutors dedicated to trafficking, bears primary responsibility for combating trafficking. The NPF and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) also have antitrafficking units. In addition the president had a special assistant for human trafficking and child labor."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Information on efforts of the government to combat trafficking in persons ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19948]

"The government devoted more resources to curb trafficking during the year and took several steps to address the problem more effectively. Enforcement efforts continued to improve, the number of trafficking cases investigated and prosecuted during the year increased, and record-keeping improved as NAPTIP, NPF, and NIS roles were more clearly defined through a series of NAPTIP-sponsored meetings, conferences, training sessions, and networking events. [...] The NPF Antitrafficking Task Force was established in 2005 and staffed 22 units in states with the worst trafficking problems. Officials complained of inadequate resources, citing insufficient funding to support investigative field work."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Information on collaboration of authorities with traffickers ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19949]

"At the institutional level, government authorities did not facilitate or condone trafficking; however, reports continued to surface from informants and foreign officials that law enforcement officers and individuals in the immigration and airport authorities collaborated in trafficking persons across the country's borders. On August 21, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs closed its authentication unit which provided falsified seals in exchange for bribes greatly exceeding the official rate. Credible reports indicate that much of the authentication was for young women who were being trafficked out of the country. The majority of instances were attributed to ignorance of the trafficking law and difficulties overcoming traditional practices. NAPTIP was very active in providing sensitization, including to police and customs in attending training. The law provides punitive measures for officials who aid or abet trafficking; however, NAPTIP and NPF had found no evidence of official complicity, and no officials were prosecuted, tried, or convicted of trafficking-related charges. One police inspector was arrested in Abuja for releasing two trafficking suspects after receiving specific orders to hold them. The inspector was not suspected of collaborating with the traffickers and their activities."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Assistance for victims of trafficking ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19950]

"The government provided limited funding for assistance to victims. NAPTIP served as the point of contact for immigration and police officials when victims were found; 500 victims passed through the agency during the year. NAPTIP directly provided overnight shelter to victims, and agency officials connected victims to nongovernmental or international organizations for shelter, counseling, and reintegration assistance. NAPTIP established a hot line for victims and anyone seeking or wanting to provide information regarding trafficking. The hot line received an estimated 500 calls during the year. During the year the government helped victims in some cases to repatriate to their home countries and reunited trafficked children with their families. NAPTIP also conducted a sensitization exercise to increase awareness of the risks of trafficking."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Government efforts to reunite trafficked children with their families ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19951]

"The Ministry of Labor and Productivity, in collaboration with the ILO, NAPTIP, the police, and other federal agencies, provided food, transportation, and other logistical assistance to reunite internally and externally trafficked children with their families. The government continued to operate the 120-bed shelter in Lagos, with involvement by the International Organization for Migration and the American Bar Association. NAPTIP also operated shelter facilities at secure locations in Abuja and Benin City, and in Akwa Ibom and Kano states."

Document(s): Open document

01.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Child trafficking remains serious problem ("World Report 2007") [ID 18978]

"Child labor, such as exploitation of children as domestics and as laborers in quarries, as well as child trafficking within Nigeria and across borders, remained serious problems during 2006. In the last several years, hundreds of trafficked children from Nigeria as well as from Benin, Cameroon, Togo and other African countries have been rescued by Nigerian authorities. In July 2006 a multilateral accord against the trafficking of women and children was signed in Abuja by 26 West and Central African countries."

Document(s): Open document

09.2006 - Source: Freedom House

Human trafficking remains a problem ("Freedom in the World 2006") [ID 18273]

"Human trafficking to, from, and within the country for purposes of labor and prostitution is a problem. The government in 2004 outlawed human trafficking and set up an agency to deal with offenders."

Document(s): Open document

07.2006 - Source: Freedom House

Prostitute-smuggling rings traffick women to Europe ("Countries at the Crossroads 2006") [ID 18310]

"International news coverage over the last two years of Nigerian prostitute-smuggling rings to Europe has brought increasing attention to the scope of this problem. Most of the women are fooled into thinking that they are joining guestworker or exchange programs and then forced into prostitution once they arrive in Europe. The federal government has declared its intention to eradicate the smuggling rings. State and local authorities, however, have been far less willing to become involved, and the police remain on both sides of the issue."

Document(s): Open document

05.2006 - Source: Norwegian Country of Origin Information Center

Trafficking in Women – Fact-finding trip to Nigeria (Abuja, Lagos and Benin City) 12-26 March 2006 ("Trafficking in Women – Fact-finding trip to Nigeria (Abuja, Lagos and Benin City) 12-26 March 2006") [ID 21621]

"Report on trafficking in woman (trafficking of Nigerians to Norway, socioeconomic context, gender dimensions, anti-trafficking efforts in Nigeria)"

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Trafficking of persons to, from, and within the country ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17421]

"Although the law prohibits trafficking in persons, persons were trafficked to, from, and within the country. The law prohibits human trafficking and provides for penalties including monetary fines, imprisonment, deportation, forfeiture of assets and passport, and liability for compensation to victims in civil proceedings. Imprisonment terms range from 12 months to life, while fines range from $375 (50 thousand naira) to $1,500 (200 thousand naira). The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) bears primary responsibility for combating trafficking. The NPF and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) also have antitrafficking units. In addition, the president had a special assistant for human trafficking and child labor. Enforcement efforts continued to improve during the year. The government took several steps during the year to correct the issue of inadequate resources and tripled its NAPTIP funding. The number of trafficking cases investigated and prosecuted during the year increased, and record keeping had improved as NAPTIP, NPF, and NIS roles were more clearly defined through a series of NAPTIP-sponsored meetings, conferences, training sessions, and networking events."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) investigated 75 new cases during the year ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17422]

"Preliminary data indicated that NAPTIP investigated 75 new cases during the year; many of the cases were pending at year's end. NAPTIP made arrests in 25 cases, 15 of which went to court, and 2 additional cases were pending at year's end. Four additional convictions under the antitrafficking law were delivered during the year from cases in Kano and Ogun States, and the verdict was pending in a case in Benin State. In the Ogun case, a Ghanaian and a Togolese were convicted on charges of pandering. The men were sentenced to a minimum of seven years' imprisonment. In the most prominent case of the year, 40 trafficking victims, involving young girls between the ages of 7 and 19, were recovered. All of the victims were returned to their homes and to school, or were given training in various skills. The trafficker was charged and a trial was pending at year's end. The NPF Antitrafficking Task Force was established and staffed 22 units in states with the worst trafficking problems."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Preliminary data indicated that the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) investigated 75 new cases during the year; many of the cases were pending at year's end ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17423]

"Preliminary data indicated that NAPTIP investigated 75 new cases during the year; many of the cases were pending at year's end. NAPTIP made arrests in 25 cases, 15 of which went to court, and 2 additional cases were pending at year's end. Four additional convictions under the antitrafficking law were delivered during the year from cases in Kano and Ogun States, and the verdict was pending in a case in Benin State. In the Ogun case, a Ghanaian and a Togolese were convicted on charges of pandering. The men were sentenced to a minimum of seven years' imprisonment."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Preliminary data indicated that the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) investigated 75 new cases during the year; many of the cases were pending at year's end ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17423]

"Preliminary data indicated that NAPTIP investigated 75 new cases during the year; many of the cases were pending at year's end. NAPTIP made arrests in 25 cases, 15 of which went to court, and 2 additional cases were pending at year's end. Four additional convictions under the antitrafficking law were delivered during the year from cases in Kano and Ogun States, and the verdict was pending in a case in Benin State. In the Ogun case, a Ghanaian and a Togolese were convicted on charges of pandering. The men were sentenced to a minimum of seven years' imprisonment."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

40 trafficking victims, involving young girls between the ages of 7 and 19, were recovered ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17424]

"In the most prominent case of the year, 40 trafficking victims, involving young girls between the ages of 7 and 19, were recovered. All of the victims were returned to their homes and to school, or were given training in various skills. The trafficker was charged and a trial was pending at year's end."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Country was a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons during the year ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17425]

"The country was a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons during the year. No government or NGO estimates on the extent of trafficking were available, but the magnitude of the problem was believed to be significant. This was based on several factors, including the number of deportees returned to the country and reports of Nigerians stranded along trafficking routes, particularly in North African countries. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that 40 percent of child street peddlers were trafficking victims. Nigerians were trafficked to Europe, the Middle East, and other countries in Africa for the purposes of forced labor, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation. Girls and women were trafficked for forced prostitution to Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Cote d'Ivoire, and Benin. Children were trafficked for involuntary domestic and agricultural labor and street peddling within the country and to countries in West and Central Africa. Both women and children were trafficked to Saudi Arabia. The country was a destination country for children trafficked for forced labor from other West African countries, primarily Benin."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Women and children most at risk of being trafficked ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17426]

"Women and children were most at risk of being trafficked. Boys were trafficked primarily to work as forced bondage laborers, street peddlers, and beggars, while girls were trafficked for domestic service, street peddling, and commercial sexual exploitation. Trafficking in children, and to a lesser extent in women, occurred within the country's borders. Children in rural areas were trafficked to urban centers to work as domestics, street peddlers, merchant traders, and beggars."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Women and children most at risk of being trafficked ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17427]

"Women and children were most at risk of being trafficked. Boys were trafficked primarily to work as forced bondage laborers, street peddlers, and beggars, while girls were trafficked for domestic service, street peddling, and commercial sexual exploitation. Trafficking in children, and to a lesser extent in women, occurred within the country's borders. Children in rural areas were trafficked to urban centers to work as domestics, street peddlers, merchant traders, and beggars."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Criminals and organised criminal groups conducted trafficking ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17428]

"The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that individual criminals and organized criminal groups conducted trafficking, often involving relatives or other persons already known to the victims. Traffickers employed various methods during the year. Many were organized into specialties, such as document and passport forgery, recruitment, and transportation. To recruit young women, traffickers often made false promises of legitimate work outside the country. Traffickers also deceived child victims and their parents with promises of education, training, and salary payments. Once away from their families, children were subjected to harsh treatment and intimidation. Traffickers subjected victims to debt bondage, particularly victims forced into prostitution. In some cases, traffickers employed practitioners of traditional magic, or juju, to threaten victims with curses to procure their silence. NAPTIP estimated that 90 percent of the girls trafficked through Benin routes were threatened by juju practitioners. Victims were transported by air, land, and sea. Established land routes to Europe transited Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Morocco. At the institutional level, government authorities did not facilitate or condone trafficking; however, reports continued to surface from informants and foreign officials that law enforcement officers and individuals in the immigration and airport authorities collaborated in trafficking across the country's borders. The majority of instances were attributed to ignorance of the trafficking law and difficulties overcoming traditional practices. The law provides punitive measures for officials who aid or abet trafficking; however, during the year NAPTIP and NPF found no evidence of official complicity, and no officials were prosecuted, tried, or convicted of trafficking-related charges. One police inspector was arrested in Abuja for releasing two trafficking suspects after being giving specific orders to hold them. The inspector was not suspected of collaborating with the traffickers and their activities. The government provided limited funding for assistance to victims. NAPTIP served as the point of contact for immigration and police officials when victims were found. Seventy-three victims passed through the agency during the year. NAPTIP directly provided overnight shelter to victims, and agency officials connected victims to nongovernmental or international organizations for shelter, counseling, and reintegration assistance. NAPTIP established a hot line for victims and anyone seeking or wanting to provide information regarding trafficking. In some cases the government helped victims repatriate to the country and reunited trafficked children with their families."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Officials provided food and transportation to reunite trafficked children with their families ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17429]

"The Ministry of Labor and Productivity, in collaboration with the ILO, NAPTIP, the police, and other federal agencies, provided food, transportation, and other logistical assistance to reunite internally and externally trafficked children with their families."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Government provided some funding for protection activities ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17430]

"The government provided some funding for protection activities. For victims serving as witnesses, divisional police officers were appointed to serve as witness protection officers. NAPTIP officials and the officer worked together to provide assistance. NAPTIP outreach efforts were based on a series of "town hall" meetings with community leaders, traditional leaders, teachers, school children, and other groups to raise awareness of the dangers of trafficking, legal protections, and available resources. Several state governments in the south continued strong efforts to protect victims. Victims were no longer charged with crimes or detained with criminals in cells as they were in previous years. The government increased efforts and substantially increased funding to prevent trafficking in persons during the year. The stakeholder forum established by NAPTIP in 2003 continued. NAPTIP officials met with several major traditional leaders to raise their awareness regarding trafficking and the antitrafficking law. NAPTIP also worked with the media to raise awareness among the public, and officials appeared on national talk shows and state programs. The government continued implementing the ILO International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) West Africa Cocoa Agriculture Project to prevent the trafficking or employment of children in commercial agriculture, especially cocoa production."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

NAPTIP led establishment of state-level antitrafficking committees; government established economic and education programs ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17431]

"NAPTIP led the establishment of state-level antitrafficking committees, consisting of immigration officials, civil society organizations, law enforcement agents, and federal ministries in 22 states.These groups were charged with coordinating action in trafficking cases among their respective organizations. The government established economic and education programs that may help to prevent trafficking, such as the National Poverty Eradication Program and the Nigerian Agricultural and Rural Development Bank. Despite these and other programs, poverty, lack of access to education, and lack of economic opportunities remained pervasive problems in the country and fueled the trafficking problem."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Nongovernmental and international organisations worked closely with government and community to prevent trafficking ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17435]

"Nongovernmental and international organizations organized conferences and stakeholder meetings on trafficking and established prevention and awareness programs in schools. Groups also worked through the media. A faith-based foundation in Akwa Ibom State sponsored awareness programs on television and radio. The ILO continued a program in partnership with the News Agency of Nigeria to raise awareness and build media capacity to help eliminate child trafficking and child labor. International organizations worked closely with the government and the community during the year to prevent child trafficking. UNICEF implemented a children's parliament program that discussed civil rights and the dangers of human trafficking. The ILO continued to support information coordination and monitoring by providing internet connectivity to the national monitoring center. UNICEF also provided additional funding for NAPTIP zonal offices."

Document(s): Open document

01.2005 - Source: Danish Immigration Service

Backgroundinformation on trafficking in women in Nigeria ("Report on human rights issues in Nigeria: Joint British-Danish fact-finding mission to Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria (19 October to 2 November 2004)") [#30412],  [ID 15194]

"Commenting on the subject of the increase in trafficking in women in Nigeria, Usman explained that the Nigerian society in general is becoming increasingly commercial and many people are poor. Furthermore, the oil business in the Niger Delta region has to a great
extent destroyed the local environment and the livelihood of people living there. Consequently many people are in need of an alternative income to make up for the loss of farming land. As a result prostitution has become more widespread in the Niger Delta and the presence of the high number of oil workers and their ability to pay for sexual services
have added to this. This development has also led to an increase in the number of female headed households in which daughters may face a difficult future if they are born out of wedlock or if their mothers have abandoned them.

When mothers see how remittances from girls or young women abroad improve the standard of living for some persons in the local society they often become willing accomplices to the traffickers. However, not all Nigerian women who are engaged in prostitution abroad are victims of trafficking.

According to Momoh trafficked women and girls may send money back to their families either to assist their family or to make a saving for future investment. 100 US$ per month would add considerably to a family’s budget and it could mean that it would be able to establish some kind of small-scale business or shop.

Usman explained that most trafficking in women takes place from the southern part of Nigeria and in particular from the Niger Delta region. Although Benin City has a reputation of being the centre of trafficking there are replicas all over Nigeria. Trafficking from the Middle Belt is predominately directed towards the US and Europe. Trafficking in women to Saudi Arabia takes place in considerable scale from the northern part of Nigeria. BAOBAB confirmed that the majority of women being trafficked originate from Edo State.

Tomasso de Cataldo, Chief of Mission, IOM, explained that a recent survey conducted by IOM showed that it is mostly victims of internal conflicts that are being trafficked and that internally displaced children also are victims of trafficking. Internal conflicts in Nigeria are conducive to establishing illegal trafficking and also for recruiting children. De Cataldo emphasised that it is important to recognise the scope of the problem. The laws are in place and the President has declared that the government intends to fight the phenomena. Nigeria is now able to crack down on trafficking agents inside the country. Many agents have their
origin in Edo State. Trafficking in women is a growing problem but it is also a mere development of an existing system of trafficking in forced labour. There is freedom of movement within Nigeria and if the government is to improve border control NPF will need more resources. Many trafficked women in Nigeria travel overseas via Niger, as the land
borders are mostly not guarded."

Document(s): Open document

01.2005 - Source: Danish Immigration Service

Contracting parties within the context of trafficking in women ("Report on human rights issues in Nigeria: Joint British-Danish fact-finding mission to Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria (19 October to 2 November 2004)") [#30412],  [ID 15195]

"According to Usman trafficking in women from the southern part of the country is most often set up by an agent or a madam who can also be a involved in money lending business. The madam or the agents have the means to obtain visas and can pay the travelling cost for the girl or young women. A contract is made with the woman and she has to swear an oath to a shrine. The woman swears the oath in the presence of a priest, the madam and the parents (mostly the mother). Usually a number of rituals are a part of the oath swearing – a goat or chicken is slaughtered, “nonsense words” are said and wine spilled on the ground. The woman subjects herself to the bidding of the madam and is obliged to pay back money to her. The oath to the shrine is not an unusual phenomenon but a part of ordinary life and the social system in parts of Nigeria. Shrines are dotted all over the southern part of Nigeria and the Middle Belt and other places where Christians and believers of traditional religions live. Even if the mother and the girl or young woman are not fully aware of the implications of the contract and believe that the woman is going abroad to work as a housemaid, in the cleaning business or even to receive an education the woman is obliged to the oath and to the bidding of the madam.

Dayo Akinmoyo, Special Assistant to the President on Human Trafficking and Child Labour, confirmed that the sworn oath given by the victims and their sense of obligations towards the shrine make them fear of reprisals even before they are sent off to a foreign country. However genuine this fear might be, Akinmoyo considered it to be more of a
psychological nature rather than founded in reality.

Usman explained that the contract might run for two or three years depending on the woman’s earnings abroad. During that time the woman return the majority of her income to the madam and also smaller amounts to her household via commercial money transfer companies. Usman assumed that a pimp or madam abroad is in contact with the madam or agent in Nigeria and thus have the means of controlling the woman. Usman stressed that nobody has specific information about this. However, the woman is no longer bound by her oath to the shrine when the contract expires and the debt to the madam or the agent has been paid."

Document(s): Open document

01.2005 - Source: Danish Immigration Service

Strong political will within the federal government to address the problem of human trafficking ("Report on human rights issues in Nigeria: Joint British-Danish fact-finding mission to Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria (19 October to 2 November 2004)") [#30412],  [ID 15196]

"Akinmoyo pointed out that there is a strong political will within the federal government to address the problem of human trafficking and child labour but the government does not fully control the policies of the state and local governments. On the federal level a number of governmental bodies are concerned with trafficking and a National Presidential Committee has the overall responsibility for all activities and an anti-trafficking police force has been established. The key NGO engaged in anti-trafficking is WOTCLEF, but Akinmoyo emphasised that there is a need to form a coalition of anti-trafficking NGOs throughout the
country as the victims of trafficking most likely are more prepared to co-operate with a local NGO whom they may know.

Ndaguba explained that the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act was enacted in 2003 and in August the same year NAPTIP was established under the provision of that legislation. NAPTIP commenced its work in January 2004 and has received international donations of funding. Ndaguba added that internal
trafficking in Nigeria is minimal compared to trafficking across the borders. Trafficking is a very serious problem in Nigeria and a number of government agencies and ministries are now engaged in addressing the problem.

Umaru explained that it was only after the democratic elected government was installed and WOTCLEF founded in 1999 that attention was paid to the problem of trafficking and child labour. When WOTCLEF commenced its campaigns against trafficking the situation changed dramatically. Umaru explained that although WOTCLEF does not have any legal status to prosecute traffickers, the foundation co-operates closely with NAPTIP and provides shelter for victims of trafficking."

Document(s): Open document

10.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

Women trafficking for the purpose of prostitution in Europe ("Country Report - October 2003") [#17332],  [ID 15197]

"6.41 There have also been reports of young Nigerian women being trafficked to Europe through the United Kingdom, mostly to Italy, to be exploited for the purposes of prostitution. This abuse is increasing in some European countries. Some of these girls, who have been rescued, complain that violence, intimidation, threats against them or their families, and the use of voodoo practices, have all being used to control them. The United Kingdom authorities are attempting to address this problem, by taking action against those involved in this trade."

Document(s): Open document

10.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

Trafficking in women ("Country Report - October 2003") [#17332],  [ID 15198]

"6.109 A number of states, including most northern states that have begun the enforcement of Shari'a law, have begun to enforce existing laws or to introduce new laws to combat prostitution. [...]

6.110 A growing problem is the cross border trafficking of Nigerian women for the purpose of forced prostitution in Europe. Mrs Titi Abubakar, wife of the Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has set up the Women-trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF). This organisation intends to combat this trade and help rehabilitate victims of this traffic who have been deported back to Nigeria, by providing vocational training, and financial assistance to set up businesses at the end of this training. The Nigerian authorities are aware of this exploitation and are attempting to stop this trade; they are also seeking international assistance to address this problem.

6.111 Large numbers of women and young girls have migrated to Europe in response to job offers as domestic workers or waitresses. Upon arrival, many were forced into prostitution in order to pay off debts, but it appears that some are aware that this was the purpose for them being trafficked. In addition, there is evidence that Nigerian crime syndicates may use debts, threats of beatings and rape, physical injury to the victim's family, arrest, and deportation to persuade those forced into sex work from attempting to escape. The Government deplores this trade, and is looking at ways to prevent it.

6.112 The Nigerian police attempts to stem the trafficking of persons include extended jail sentences and public humiliation; however, such actions focused primarily on victims, and traffickers have not been punished. Awareness campaigns, often conducted by NGO's and others, have only recently begun to generate widespread attention. [3] President Obasanjo has set up a committee to address this problem, to receive those who are victims of this abuse, and provide rehabilitation and assistance. The Nigerian authorities are taking this abuse seriously, and are attempting to arrest those who organise and profit from it."

Document(s): Open document

10.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

Child trafficking remains a serious problem ("Country Report - October 2003") [#17332],  [ID 15209]

"6.40 Trafficking in Nigerian children remains a serious problem, both within Nigeria, and outside its borders. The economic reasons that underlie child trafficking may be reflected in the fact that families who employ children also pay their school fees. Child traffickers also take advantage of a cultural tradition of "fostering" under which it is culturally accepted to send one's child to live and work with a family in an urban centre for educational and employment purposes. There are also reports of poor families selling their daughters into marriage, in order raise money. Often the children in these situations only work and do not get any formal education. They are forced to serve as domestics or to become street hawkers selling nuts, fruits, or other items. According to reports from the media and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), there is also an active trade in children to work as labourers. Some are sent to Cameroon, Gabon, Benin, and Equatorial Guinea to work in agricultural enterprises, and others are forced into prostitution. Authorities also have identified a trade route for traffickers of children for labour through Katsina and Sokoto to the Middle East and East Africa. The eastern part of the country and some southern states such as Cross River and Akwa Ibom have been the focus of trafficking of children for labour and, in some cases, it is claimed for human sacrifice. The country remains a destination point for the trafficking of Togolese children to serve as domestic or agricultural workers. The Government is investigating allegations of the collusion of customs officials in trafficking. Some of the returnees have alleged that immigration officials actively connive with syndicates; however, there were no arrests of immigration officials for trafficking offences during 2001. The Assistant Inspector General of Police is investigating allegations of the collusion of customs officials in trafficking."

Document(s): Open document

10.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

The Nigerian police fight on human trafficking ("Country Report - October 2003") [#17332],  [ID 15302]

"6.112 The Nigerian police attempts to stem the trafficking of persons include extended jail sentences and public humiliation; however, such actions focused primarily on victims, and traffickers have not been punished. Awareness campaigns, often conducted by NGO's and others, have only recently begun to generate widespread attention. [3] President Obasanjo has set up a committee to address this problem, to receive those who are victims of this abuse, and provide rehabilitation and assistance. The Nigerian authorities are taking this abuse seriously, and are attempting to arrest those who organise and profit from it."

Document(s): Open document

29.09.2003 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

116 children, trafficked into Nigeria to provide cheap labour, returned to Benin ("Police returns 116 trafficked children to Benin") [#16284],  [ID 15212]

""Nigeria's police authorities on Friday returned 11