No fewer than 17 victims of human trafficking were rescued yesterday in Sokoto by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

The victims, nine females and eight males, were on their way to Niger Republic, when the NIS intercepted them.

According to the state's command comptroller, Abdulmalik Abdulmuminu, the victims were apprehended over the weekend at Illela local government area on their way to Italy via Niger Republic and have been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation.

Abdullmuminu decried the high rate of human trafficking and called on parents to be mindful of their kids against being misled by individuals with bad intentions.

NAPTIP Zonal Coordinator, Shehu Omar, who confirmed the incident said that the victims would be trained on vocational skills to enable them acquire skills they can use to fend for themselves.

He also revealed that the agency had rescued at least 125 victims of human trafficking in the last two months.