NAPTIP wants collective action to check rising cases of human trafficking in S’East

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has called for collective action to contain rising cases of human trafficking in the southeast.

Director General, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, who stated this in Enugu said human trafficking is no longer a minor offence.

She noted that those who engaged in it had done so for several purposes, including ritual killing and organ harvesting, stressing that its negative impact was huge on the society.

Represented by the Director, Research and Programme Development, Josiah Emereole, at a workshop for validation of the baseline assessment report on human trafficking in Enugu State, she said the quest for money had encouraged human trafficking in the region.

“Human trafficking is ranked number two after drugs. It is destroying our youths. It is ready to wipe away a whole community and should therefore be tamed. Around the southeast region, these acts include sexual exploitation and the use of children in brothels. It is the buying and selling of human parts.

“Children are not supposed to be bought or sold. Organ harvesting is becoming rampant because nobody has been put to jail over it. Use of children in orphanages not properly regulated for trafficking is also high in the region,” she said.

Waziri-Azi noted that anybody could be trafficked for organ-related issues, stressing that containing the trend required awareness and the support of all.

She said ignorance on the issue had led many to become victims of trafficking, adding that the baseline assessment was carried out by NAPTIP and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) to establish clear and comprehensive understanding of human trafficking within targeted community schools.