The Chairperson of the House Committee on Humanitarian Services and Member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, has raised fresh concerns over the alarming rise in the trafficking of Nigerians across West Africa, particularly the emerging trend of targeting children as young as ten for sexual exploitation and organ harvesting.
Akande-Sadipe, who moved a motion on the floor of the House of Representatives, warned that trafficking syndicates are adopting increasingly dangerous tactics, including preying on minors in order to evade detection and deepen their exploitative operations.
She emphasised that while the trafficking of Nigerian women for forced labour has remained a long-standing crisis, the growing exploitation of children represents a dangerous escalation that requires urgent, coordinated and sustained national action.
Citing disturbing findings from the National Council of Child Rights Advocates of Nigeria, NACCRAN, Akande-Sadipe disclosed that hundreds of Nigerian minors remain stranded in extremely exploitative conditions in Mali and other countries within the West African sub-region.
Many of these victims, she noted, were either kidnapped or deceived with false promises of legitimate employment, only to be trapped in degrading and dangerous circumstances.
The lawmaker acknowledged recent rescue efforts undertaken through the collaboration of NACCRAN, NAPTIP, the House Committee on Humanitarian Services and support of the immediate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Minister Yusuff Tuggar. She, however, warned that bureaucratic bottlenecks continue to delay critical rescue interventions, thereby placing more victims at risk and slowing the process of safe return.
Akande-Sadipe further expressed concern that despite Nigeria’s commitments under international instruments such as the Palermo Protocol, gaps in coordination, weak inter-agency cooperation and inadequate funding continue to limit the country’s capacity to rescue, rehabilitate and effectively reintegrate trafficked citizens.
“Bringing our people home is only the beginning. Without proper medical care, psychosocial support and structured reintegration pathways, survivors remain vulnerable members of society,” she stated.
To address these systemic challenges, Akande-Sadipe successfully pushed for the adoption of key resolutions by the House, including the development of a comprehensive repatriation and reintegration framework by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NAPTIP, benchmarked against global best practices.
The inclusion of dedicated intervention funding in the 2027 Budget for the rehabilitation, empowerment and reintegration of trafficked girls and other vulnerable victims.
In addition, she asked that House called for an urgent investigation into the plight of Nigerians trafficked to Mali, as well as immediate action by the Nigerian Embassy in Mali to support rescue and repatriation efforts.
The Committee on Humanitarian Services, in partnership with the Committees on Diaspora, Foreign Affairs and Justice, was also mandated to conduct an in-depth investigation into the status, welfare and conditions of Nigerians trafficked to Mali.
The joint committee is further expected to identify legal, policy and administrative barriers hampering seamless collaboration among relevant government agencies and to propose practical solutions for improved rescue, repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration.
Akande-Sadipe reaffirmed her unwavering commitment to advocating for vulnerable Nigerians, stressing that every victim deserves a clear pathway to dignity, healing and hope.
