The Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), says a total of 4,753 victims of human trafficking were rescued and supported in the state between 2022 and 2024.
According to reports that the victims were supported through coordinated efforts by the state and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
Pedro said this on Thursday in Ikeja at the 2025 opening ceremony of the Africa Colloquium Against Human Trafficking, in partnership with Pepperdine University, California, United States of America.
The theme of the colloquium was: ” A United Front Against Ritual Abuse and Sacrifice.”
He said the achievement reflected Lagos State’s strong commitment to ending human trafficking and ritual-related crimes through enforcement, protection, and coordination.
He said the Lagos State Task Force Against Human Trafficking had worked tirelessly with relevant agencies and partners to provide counselling, psychosocial support, and rehabilitation for survivors, including minors and persons with disabilities.
He added that the state had expanded its shelters for rescued victims, trained 109 local government focal persons as community anti-trafficking advocates, and reached more than five million residents through statewide awareness campaigns.
Pedro highlighted that the state enacted the Lagos State Organ Harvesting Prohibition Law 2024 to criminalise organ trafficking and impose strict penalties on offenders, including medical professionals and criminal syndicates.
He noted that human trafficking had become a highly profitable transnational crime linked to organised criminal networks, generating illegal profits of about $236 billion annually.
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