The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has secured more than 20 convictions for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) offences and rescued over 3,000 people from critical situations since the beginning of 2026.
Three of the convictions resulted in life imprisonment, while most of the cases involved rape, reflecting the agency’s intensified efforts to combat sexual violence and protect vulnerable persons.
NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations Unit, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed this during an interview with journalists on Monday in Abuja, saying the agency had also arrested several suspects and was prosecuting many others in connection with SGBV-related offences.
“From January 2026 to now, we have rescued over 3,000 people from critical situations. We have also arrested a whole lot and are prosecuting a whole lot of them,” Adekoye said.
He said the agency had expanded its response to SGBV through stronger collaboration with the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as well as relevant ministries, departments and agencies.
According to him, NAPTIP is also engaging communities and training frontline responders to improve the prevention, reporting and response to cases of sexual and gender-based violence.
Adekoye urged perpetrators of SGBV to desist from the act, warning that offenders could face prosecution under relevant laws, including the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act.
He also identified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Maputo Protocol as important legal and human rights instruments for protecting victims and promoting their rights.
Adekoye noted that NAPTIP had recently inaugurated an SGBV media corps as part of efforts to strengthen media support in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.
He urged journalists to move beyond reporting individual incidents and investigate the underlying factors contributing to the persistence of SGBV in society.
“We want the media to ask why cases are rising and examine the roles of critical institutions, customs, norms, behaviours and habits in addressing the problem,” he said.
The NAPTIP spokesman also called on journalists to embrace victim-centred reporting, stressing the need to protect survivors from further harm while ensuring that their dignity, privacy and safety are preserved.
“We must protect the victims, ensure their dignity and privacy are protected, and help them regain trust in society,” he said.