Newscenter Media News 
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has rescued and repatriated 23 Nigerian youths from Thailand after they were trafficked into the country to engage in cyber-enabled crimes.
The Head of Press and Public Relations of NAPTIP, Vincent Adekoye, revealed this in a statement on Wednesday.
Adekoye stated that the victims were recruited and sent to countries including Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia to carry out romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and investment scams.
According to him, the youths were specifically targeted for their intelligence, computer, and IT skills, as well as their clean lifestyle.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the agency, Binta Adamu Bello, described the operation as exposing a new dimension of human trafficking that targets vibrant and skilled Nigerians.
She maintained that victims were lured with promises of scholarships and employment but were forced into fraudulent activities upon arrival.
“The victims revealed that they were trained in various scamming techniques, sometimes learning new languages to serve as translators and customer care agents to deceive targets in the USA, UK, Ethiopia, and Canada.
“They were housed in hostels, monitored by mafia operatives, and tortured if they failed to meet quotas. Some victims who resisted were killed or had their organs harvested,” she said.