The wife of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Titi Atiku Abubakar, has said the growing number of Nigerian girls moving abroad has become a concern for foreign countries, prompting international partners to support efforts to tackle human trafficking in Nigeria.
She said the partners wanted more Nigerian girls to remain in their home country rather than move abroad and become a burden on their host nations.
Titi, who chairs the Board of Trustees of the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), made the statement on Thursday in Abuja during the presentation of the organisation’s review of the 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report released by the United States Department of State.
Explaining why international partners were supporting Nigeria’s anti-trafficking efforts, she said their goal was to help Nigerian girls remain in the country and build their lives at home.
“You see, why are our partners actually helping us? Because they want our girls to stay at home. Our girls are becoming a nuisance in overseas countries. So that is why these partners are helping us,” she said.
She added that the support was meant to strengthen the fight against human trafficking and help the girls pursue their ambitions in Nigeria.
“They are supporting us, they are supporting the girls. They want them to stay at home and do whatever they want to do in their homes, in their country,” she added.
The NACTAL board chair also called for greater cooperation among civil society organisations, stressing that the fight against human trafficking, child abuse and child labour required the involvement of more groups.
She said NACTAL could not win the fight alone, describing the organisations working with the network as key players in efforts to protect victims and prevent trafficking.
“NACTAL has about 286 foot soldiers, those are the CSOs that are working with NACTAL because NACTAL alone cannot do it. So we must bring everybody on board to help in this fight,” she said.
Meanwhile, the immediate past president of NACTAL and regional representative of the West African Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants, Abdulganiu Abubakar, said the network’s review found that the contributions of the Nigerian government, development partners and civil society organisations were not adequately reflected in the 2025 US Trafficking in Persons Report.
He explained that the review was commissioned after the report was released to examine how it assessed Nigeria’s efforts to fight human trafficking, especially in victim protection, rehabilitation and the provision of shelters.
According to him, development partners have helped Nigeria develop policies, support trafficking victims and renovate shelters managed by civil society organisations and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
He said about 10 NAPTIP shelters had benefited from renovation support, but the interventions were not properly captured in the US report.
Abubakar also argued that the contributions of more than 289 NACTAL member organisations and Nigeria’s participation in regional efforts to combat human trafficking across West Africa deserved greater recognition.
However, he admitted that Nigeria still faced serious challenges in enforcing anti-trafficking policies.
He listed poor funding, weak political will, and gaps in the prosecution of trafficking cases, especially high-profile cases, among the issues affecting the country’s response.
Abubakar urged the Federal Government to provide more funds for ministries, departments and agencies responsible for fighting human trafficking and show greater commitment to enforcing existing policies.
“The government of Nigeria needs to do a lot in terms of funding. The political will and commitment should improve,” he said.
He also called on the government to create an environment where civil society organisations and development partners could work independently while supporting government efforts.
The former NACTAL president further urged the authorities to recognise investigative journalists who expose human trafficking activities and alleged perpetrators.
In his remarks, NACTAL President Osita Osemene announced plans to increase the network’s membership from about 286 civil society organizations to 500 within the first three months of his administration.
He said the organisation also hoped to grow its membership to at least 1,000 within one year.
According to Osemene, the expansion would encourage more local participation in the fight against human trafficking and improve support for victims and vulnerable people.
He stressed that tackling human trafficking should not be left to foreign partners, urging Nigerians to take greater responsibility for addressing the problem.
“The fight against human trafficking is a collective responsibility, and everybody must come together to ensure that this fight is won,” he said.
Osemene added that his administration would focus on training and capacity-building programmes to equip more civil society workers with the skills needed to handle human trafficking and child labour cases.
He said the plan would combine an increase in membership with professional training to improve the quality of support provided to victims.
