NAPTIP rescues 17,000 trafficked persons in six years

The Director General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Dame Julie Okah-Donli has revealed that between 2003 when the agency was set up and now about 404 traffickers have been convicted and are serving various jail terms through efforts of her agency with 17,000 victims rescued.

Speaking yesterday at the handover of 70 roll-up banners and 30 wall banners by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and NAPTIP to Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), she also said about 17,000 victims have been rescued and counseled with good number of them empowered by the Agency including five victims who were trained from primary schools to the university level who are now officers of NAPTIP.

Okah-Donli noted that the challenges of human trafficking and irregular migration are enormous, and new initiatives must be developed to ensure sustained successes against these twin monsters.

She added that the fight against Human Trafficking requires the collaborative efforts of everyone especially those who operate at our airports and land boarders.

“In the last few years, there have been reports of large numbers of Nigerians trapped in sexual and labour exploitation in North Africa especially Libya, Asia and European countries, apart from the hundreds that continue to die in the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea. Certainly, this is heart-rending narrative that must be radically changed in other to protect the future of the nation.

“The purpose of the handing over of the Information Communication and Education (IEC) materials is to increase vigilance and positive actions to intercept or interrupt suspected human trafficking activities as well as infuse counter-trafficking messages at conspicuous areas at our major airports, at the check-in and boarding areas, along the boarding gates and as part of the airlines inflight audio and visual communications.”