NAPTIP plans to move anti-trafficking activities to land, air, sea borders

Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Julie Okah-Donli, has vowed to sustain anti-human trafficking activities in the nation’s land, air and sea boarders

She disclosed in an interview with The Guardian that the agency plans to have NAPTIP’s personnel in all the country’s borders to achieve its aims.

Her words: “All we require now is Federal Government’s approvals to enable us do our job very well, because that is our core mandate, as no other agency will go out of their way to do our job for us, or do our job the way we are trained to do it.

“Nigeria will be better off if we are allowed to be present in all these critical locations, because these are boarders that enable trafficked persons to pass through. And we are there to stop trafficking from happening”.

She also restated the agency’s resolve not to allow pressure from any quarters to deter its determination to save young persons who are sold into slavery by dubious agents.

She commended the royal fathers, especially the Benin and Delta monarchs who have called priests in their domains together and warned them against carrying out the oath taking on the victims by their traffickers.

“They also educate their indigenes to ensure that they do not encourage their children to leave the country in an irregular manner, which has helped to reduce or eradicate incidents of human trafficking in their various kingdoms,” she added.

Okah-Donli, who spoke on the ills and challenges of tackling human trafficking, also said, “The fight against trafficking in persons is a terrible one in the sense that it is a crime against humanity and as such, I am ready to save lives. It is a job that entails saving the lives of millions of innocent boys and girls who are deceived into slavery.

“I am passionate and emotional about it. And I take it very seriously because I think it is an assignment God gave me. What I am doing at NAPTIP comes naturally because I am naturally a confident person from my upbringing.”

She also commended the royal fathers and community leaders for cooperating with NAPTIP in stemming human trafficking, saying, “The royal fathers are partnering with us.

“Human Trafficking is against a federal law applicable in all 36 states of Nigeria. The National Assembly has always been partnering with us. There are two states also trying to enact their laws on human trafficking.

“We have human trafficking taskforces in some states. We are working towards having them in all 36 states to make corporation and coordination a lot easier. Once that is done, it will make it easier for us to deal with the states and local government areas, and ensure that everyone is carried along.”
She stressed the need for a robust relationship between NAPTIP and the National Assembly, states Houses of Assembly, as well as the domestication laws on human trafficking at the state and community levels.