The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has pledged to partner with ECOWAS to profile and identify migrants to tackle the challenge of human trafficking.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donli, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
She said that partnership between the commission and Agency had become imperative because of the need to reduce the scourge of trafficking not just in the sub-region, but globally.
According to her, more needs to be done for improvement because we are not yet where we should be with cases of human trafficking.
Okah-Donli said: “NAPTIP is on a mission to change the narrative of human trafficking around the world and also change the global perspective about Nigeria.
“We cannot fold our hands while the population of our promising youths is being depleted on daily basis by some heartless persons.
“The agency is presently fine-tuning plans to launch Operation Rescue Them; a project that will involve profiling, identification and evacuation of stranded Nigerians and also trafficked persons around the world.
“We are concerned with only those that are trafficked; we are making plans to having bigger meeting with ECOWAS.
“Trafficking is endemic in West Africa, we have started a fact finding mission before we can talk of profiling and evacuation.”
She decried the ploy by people to traffic unsuspecting persons under the guise of supporters club to the forthcoming World Cup in Russia.
Okah-Donli said that there was need for cooperation by all and sundry to combat human trafficking.
She advised parents not to allow their wards fall prey to people who come in the guise of wishing to sponsor them abroad, to avoid being trafficked.
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