The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has revealed that it has rescued 19 girls pregnant for one man in an estate in Abuja, just as Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, has called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach against human trafficking in Nigeria.
She spoke at a strategic meeting with Hajia Binta Adamu Bello, Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
The meeting was held at the NiDCOM Headquarters in Abuja.
Dabiri-Erewa noted that while progress has been made, more needed to be done.
She stressed that traffickers should be named and shamed while enforcing stricter penalties as a deterrent to other criminal actors.
She said NAPTIP cannot work alone and called for closer collaboration with NiDCOM, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, and other sister agencies to curb the menace.
Like NiDCOM, the Commission’s Chairman also pushed for more flexible policies and better funding to help NAPTIP to fully carry out its mandate against the menace.
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The NiDCOM boss appreciated the support of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, International Organization for Migration (IOM), neighbouring governments, Nigerian Diaspora Communities, Wema Bank, and NGOs for helping to rescue and reintegrate trafficked victims.
Dabiri-Erewa commended the NAPTIP DG for her dedication and pledged continued support, adding: “We will continue to do our best to save these young ones and encourage safe and regular pathways for migration.”
Hajia Bello thanked Dabiri-Erewa for NiDCOM’s support, especially in the recent rescue of 231 young Nigerians from Ghana.
She agreed that tackling human trafficking requires joint action from the government, society, and key stakeholders.
The Director General stressed the need for more awareness across all levels to highlight the dangers of trafficking,
“We rescued last week 19 girls, all pregnant for one man in an estate in Abuja, received nine girls from Cote d’Ivoire, and other sordid stories to mention here.”
Recognising NiDCOM’s role in engaging with Nigerians in the diaspora, she expressed her commitment to strengthening the NiDCOM-NAPTIP relationship.
Bello assured that the Agency will continue to protect the rights and dignity of Nigerians against trafficking in persons.
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