Godsent Ogbebor
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has identified Nigeria as one of the primary source, transit, and destination countries for human trafficking in Africa.
Speaking at the 2025 annual academic summit organized by the University of Abuja’s Faculty of Social Sciences, she attributed the rise in human trafficking to factors such as poverty, economic hardship, lack of education, cultural and gender norms, and weak law enforcement.
Citing the 2023 Global Slavery Index, Sulaiman-Ibrahim highlighted that Nigeria ranks among the top 10 countries with the highest number of trafficked persons, with an estimated 1.4 million Nigerians, predominantly women and girls, trapped in modern slavery.
Over 60 percent of Nigerians attempting to migrate irregularly are women and girls, many of whom are trafficked for forced labor or sexual exploitation. Reports suggest that over 50,000 Nigerian women are currently trapped in forced prostitution across Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 80 percent of Nigerian women arriving in Europe through irregular routes are potential trafficking victims.
Furthermore, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports that Nigeria accounts for nearly 50 percent of all human trafficking cases in West Africa.
Describing human trafficking as a significant threat to Nigeria’s future, the minister emphasized the urgent need for action to combat illegal migration and trafficking, particularly of young girls.
She warned that failing to act could result in an entire generation of young women being lost to exploitation and violence. Sulaiman-Ibrahim stressed the importance of improving access to education, which she called the most powerful tool to empower young girls and enable them to make informed choices about their futures.
She also urged universities and higher institutions to incorporate human trafficking awareness and migration literacy into their curricula to foster a more informed and resilient society.
