NAPTIP Teams Up With NGO in Fresh Fight Against Human Trafficking
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Next2None Support Initiative, a non-governmental organization, have begun efforts to get the major global luxury fashion houses, including Gucci, Balenciaga, Versace and Hugo Boss, to join a pioneering international campaign against human trafficking.
The initiative, “Threads of Resilience: Fashion for Freedom,” unites global fashion, international film and elite sports for a major social-impact movement to prevent human trafficking, empower at-risk youth and restore dignity to survivors.
Director-General of Next2None Support Initiative, Mr Ndukwe Sam Obu, made the disclosure in a statement describing the initiative as Africa’s first international fashion-for-social-impact mega campaign against human trafficking. This development was made possible following the formal signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NAPTIP and Next2None Support Initiative on August 27, 2026.
The MoU was signed by the Director-General, NAPTIP, Binta Lami Adamu Bello and the Director, Legal and Prosecution Department, Mrs Ijeoma Amugo, for NAPTIP, while the Director-General of Next2None Support Initiative, Mr Sam Obu, popularly known as Chucky and Mr Frank Nwala signed for the NGO.
Obu said the initiative will run for eight years from 2026 to 2034, with an initial target of reaching 6,000 youths per year across Nigeria. The program will progressively train about 1,000 participants in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country with activities running throughout the year culminating in an annual flagship Global Fashion for Freedom event in Abuja, he said.
The initiative will be piloted globally in the second quarter of 2027.
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Obu said the changing face of human trafficking made it imperative for stakeholders to adopt innovative approaches to prevention and rehabilitation.
He said traffickers are increasingly exploiting digital platforms, including social media, fake job offers, bogus migration schemes and online relationships to lure and ensnare vulnerable persons.
“Human trafficking is no longer just a law enforcement problem, it is a crisis of poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunity.
“‘Threads of Resilience’ addresses this by not just rescuing. “We are creating a sustainable, Nigerian-led international movement that uses creativity, sports and education as a way to create pathways to freedom and economic dignity,” he said.
The comprehensive program will be anchored on three transformative pillars, the first of which is Prevention — Stopping the Cycle, the statement said.
Under the pillar, the organizers will tap into cultural platforms and touchpoints that young people consume on a daily basis, including fashion campaigns, school programs, digital advocacy and community outreach to highlight trafficking risks and promote online safety.
The program will also provide physical and digital training in vocational fields such as fashion design, textile production, leather-making and garment care, while integrating modern digital and entrepreneurship skills including e-commerce, financial literacy and branding.
The organizers say the aim was to give young people sustainable livelihood opportunities and reduce their vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation.
A further part of the program will focus on the rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors of trafficking, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees.
According to the statement, the initiative will create confidential and respectful reintegration systems that include vocational rehabilitation, mentorship, and mental health and psychosocial support.
Threads of Resilience campaign is looking for partnerships with global fashion icons, institutions and industry leaders to strengthen its international dimension.
Fashion would be a vehicle for human rights advocacy, organizers said, with emerging designers and trafficking survivors expected to showcase collections with messages of healing, resilience and freedom.
As part of the initiative Next2None and NAPTIP are seeking active engagements and collaborations with leading global luxury fashion brands including Gucci, Balenciaga, Versace and Hugo Boss.
The campaign will also leverage the Nigerian film industry and international cinema to enhance public awareness.
The project, in collaboration with Nollywood and international filmmakers, will produce anti-trafficking movies, documentaries and awareness skits, as well as offer practical film-production training for young people.
Organizers also want to use grassroots sports to reach and empower young people.
The campaign will build on existing talent-hunt frameworks while pursuing strategic alliances with global sporting organizations including FIFA for football initiatives, the International Handball Federation (IHF) for handball tournaments and the National Basketball Association (NBA) for elite athlete ambassadors and sports clinics targeted at vulnerable youths, the statement said.
According to the MoU, NAPTIP is expected to provide governmental leadership and technical expertise, including facilitating collaboration with relevant Nigerian government institutions and United Nations agencies.
Based on the implementation experience of the Next2None Support Initiative, the project also has a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework to track key outcomes such as employment rates, survivor rehabilitation and funds mobilized.
As the implementation roadmap moves into the next phase, the organization said it was stepping up diplomatic outreach and stakeholder mobilization to secure international and local backing for the campaign.
The Media Office of Next2None Support Initiative therefore appealed to corporate organizations, international development agencies, grant-making institutions, foundations, philanthropists, brand ambassadors, volunteers and foreign missions to support the initiative.
“We welcome corporate organizations, international development grants, foundations, philanthropists, brand ambassadors, volunteers and foreign missions to join us in this.
“Together we can use creativity to educate, skills to empower and partnerships to rebuild lives,” the statement read.
