Nigeria is centre for human trafficking in Africa -Minister

Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has cried out over the alarming rate of human trafficking in Nigeria.

She stated this while attending the 2025 Annual Academic Summit held by the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Abuja on Wednesday.

During the summit tagged, “Illegal Migration and Girl-Child Trafficking in 21st Century Nigeria: Changing the Mindset through Quality and Functional University Education,” she claimed that the country is sadly now leading the way in human trafficking in Africa.

The Minister attributed this menace to illiteracy, poverty, economic crisis, among other reasons.

Earlier in 2023, the Global Slavery Index ranked Nigeria among the top 10 countries with the highest number of trafficked persons.

They put the figure at 1.4million Nigerians, mostly women and young girls.

“Nigeria is one of the main source, transit, and destination countries for human trafficking in Africa.

“Over 60 per cent of Nigerians attempting to migrate irregularly are women and girls, many of whom are trafficked for forced labor or sexual exploitation,” the Minister said.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has also stressed that almost 50 percent of all human trafficking cases in West Africa occur in Nigeria.

She highlighted the need to tackle trafficking by providing quality education.

The Minister called on tertiary institutions to create awareness about this menace.

“Education remains the most powerful tool in equipping young girls with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make informed choices about their futures.

“The fight against illegal migration and girl-child trafficking is a fight for the soul of our nation. If we fail to act decisively, we risk losing an entire generation of young women to exploitation, violence, and despair,” the Minister said.

She ended by assuring all that the Ministry on legal ways to protects women and children from the reach of these traffickers.