NAPTIP rescues Akwa Ibom girl trafficked to Mali

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it has rescued a girl, Hope Umoren, trafficked from Akwa Ibom to Mali for sexual exploitation.

The Uyo Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mr Emmanuel Awhen, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Uyo.

Awhen said the girl was rescued in collaboration with its partner, Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation (GAHTO), working with the agency in Mali.

He said the girl had issues with her parents, so she met her friend, Miss Joy Nelson, who advised her that she could help her to travel to where she could make good money.

According to the NAPTIP commander, Nelson gave her some money and transported her to Lagos to meet one Michael, who moved her to Mali for sexual exploitation.

“While in Mali, it dawned on Umoren that she was going for prostitution and she did not like the idea, so she called her father.

“The father now came to us to complain about the incident. Based on his complaints, we swung into action using our contact in Mali, Global Anti-human Trafficking Organisation (GAHTO), a Non-Governmental Organisation working with the agency.

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“We traced her and rescued her back to Akwa Ibom and reunited her with her parents.

“We intend to assist her to have something doing to keep her busy and earning small income, to avoid being tempted to go out again,” Awhen said.

Awhen added that the rescued girl disclosed to them that more young girls from the state are still in Mali engaged in prostitution.

The commander said that the agency was working to ensure that the two suspected traffickers are apprehended soon.

He appealed to parents and guardians to be mindful of those coming to deceive their children with promises of greener pastures.

The zonal commander urged parents to caution their children and wards to avoid the quest to get rich quick, saying that it did not always end well.

“Parents should be more careful, take care of their children and know the type of company the children keep,” he said.