…Combating human trafficking, a moral imperative — Harris, GIABA D-G

By Tunde Oso

Nigeria has re-affirmed its strong commitment to dismantling human trafficking networks and other forms of transnational organised crime in order to protect the most vulnerable in the West African sub region.

Delivering her welcome address at the joint GIABA–ECOWAS Gender Development Center (EGDC) Regional Forum on Women and Transnational Organised Crime: Human Trafficking Risks in West Africa in Lagos on Wednesday December 17, 2025, the Director/CEO, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Ms. Hafsat Abubakar Bakari, lamented that human trafficking remains one of the most lucrative forms of transnational organised crime globally.

Defending Nigeria’s war against human trafficking, Bakari said, “Every disrupted financial flow represents not just a criminal network weakened but a human life protected and a future restored.”

According to her, “Human trafficking is not only a social or humanitarian issue, but also a financially motivated criminal enterprise that thrives on weak systems, fragmented responses and limited financial visibility.”

“The ILO and UNODC estimates, forced labour and trafficking generate over $150billion annually, placing it among the top revenue-generating criminal activities worldwide. Women and girls account for over 60 per cent of identified victims globally, with sexual exploitation and domestic servitude particularly prevalent in our region.

Bakari reaffirmed Nigeria’s strong commitment, through the “NFIU and our national partners, to working closely with GIABA, EGDC, ECOWAS member states, and international partners to deepen trust, strengthen cooperation and sharpen our collective response to this scourge.”

Declaring open the GIABA and EGDC Joint Regional Forum, Mr Edwin Harris Jr, Director General of the Inter-Governmental Action Against Money Laundering In West Africa (GIABA), said the forum was organised to face head-on a deeply troubling reality: “human trafficking in West Africa has become pervasive, evolving and devastating. It is a crime that undermines development, erodes human rights, fuels illicit economies, and threatens regional stability.”

The GIABA DG explained, “Combating human trafficking in West Africa is not simply a compliance exercise or a policy box to tick. It is a moral imperative. It is about upholding the dignity of every person, safeguarding our children, protecting women and men from exploitation, and ensuring that the future of this region is one of justice, opportunity, and hope—not exploitation and fear.”

Harris issued a rallying cry: “I call on you — the representatives of GIABA and EGDC, our governments, civil society, private sector, and all stakeholders — to reaffirm your determination today, not just in words, but in measurable, accountable actions.

“Together, we can shape a region in which human trafficking finds no refuge, no safe profit, and no place in the lives of our people. A West Africa where every child can grow in safety, every woman and man can live free of exploitation, and every community can thrive in dignity,” he said.