The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has partnered with the British High Commission to amplify the voices of Nigerian survivors trafficked into cyber-enabled scam centres in Southeast Asia.
At a survivor-focused event in Abuja titled “Confronting the Global Scam Centre Crisis: Perspectives of Nigerian Survivors,” both governments described human trafficking into forced online fraud operations as a fast-growing global threat. Officials warned that vulnerable Nigerians are increasingly being lured abroad with fake job offers, only to be coerced into sophisticated cybercrime schemes in countries such as Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
The programme followed a joint rescue mission coordinated by NAPTIP, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok and UK-based NGO EDEN. The operation led to the safe repatriation of 23 Nigerian victims earlier this month after interventions along the Thai–Myanmar border and welfare visits at Bangkok’s Immigration Detention Centre.
According to a 2026 report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights titled “A Wicked Problem,” at least 120,000 people are currently trapped in forced scam compounds in Myanmar alone, with more than 300,000 estimated across Southeast Asia. The report found that 74 per cent of victims trafficked between 2020 and 2025 were promised lucrative overseas jobs before being exploited.
UK Deputy High Commissioner Gill Lever reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Nigeria through trauma-informed care, safe repatriation and stronger international collaboration with partners including the International Organization for Migration.
NAPTIP officials said survivors’ testimonies reveal the brutal realities of digital exploitation and forced cybercrime. One survivor recounted being deceived with promises of a better life abroad, only to face confinement and constant fear.
Authorities say sustained prevention campaigns, cross-border cooperation and survivor rehabilitation are critical as traffickers adopt increasingly sophisticated recruitment tactics targeting Nigerians.
