…Says, we shouldn’t commercialise our people

By Prince Okafor

Fresh indications have emerged that human traffickers utilises technology to drive operations across the country.

This is coming even as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, cautioned Nigerians to desist from commercializing persons across the country.

NAPTIP is a fulfilment of the country’s international obligation under the Trafficking in Persons Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Transnational Organized Crime Convention, UNTOC.

Vanguard gathered that 61 percent of human trafficking in Nigeria happens internally, while 39 per cent is generated from cross-border trafficking which occurs primarily through land borders and by means of road transportation. 

However, speaking during a bus campaign to shed light on dangers and signs of human trafficking in Lagos, organised by NAPTIP and ARK Group, NAPTIP, Director, Research and Programme Development, Mr. Josiah Emerole stated that traffickers now use technology to drive their operations.

“Traffickers use the internet, through mails, social media to traffic persons across the country.

“They are now selling human beings. These people that runs this operations are our enemies. They transport persons through deceit, violence, other measures for exploitation and personal gains.

“We are actually in Lagos to have interactive sessions with various luxury bus operators. We’re engaging the managers, drivers, ticketters, vendors, everybody that walks around these companies.

“We are alerting them on the dangers of human trafficking in Nigeria and the ways transportation companies have become enablers of trafficking.

“So, we are here to warn the people, those who work here, the owners of the place, so that tomorrow when the chips are down, nobody will say I did not know.

“If for any reason, we suspect that this place is being used for trafficking despite all the warnings and we go in there and discovered it happened, we also discovered that the managers or directors of the place are involved in it, they will all be prosecuted.

“When we discover that the entire company itself, like the chairman of the company, is involved, using the company to do so, the law empowers us to begin the winding down of that company.

“It also enables us to prosecute owners of the place and confiscation of the property, which through the courts will have to be gotten and be forfeited to the federal government, and the proceeds from the sale of those things will be put in the victims of human trafficking trust fund.

“We have zero tolerance to any staff of the agency getting involved in this type of crime. Secondly, there are rules of engagement in whatever we are doing. First of all, if the person is found guilty, the person will be dismissed. The person who will be prosecuted like any other human trafficker.

“Over the years a number of staff have been dismissed for some wholesome practices, not necessarily that were involved in trafficking,” he said.

In response to the campaign, the Public Relation Officer, The Young Shall Grow Motors, Mr.  Amobi Amakor, “This is a huge development for us as a company actively operational in the country.

“When I got information of this, I was happy about it because we have been having complaints so much from our managers, drivers on how they are been harassed on the road.

“Sometimes how they carry under age childrens crossing the border, which has become a big issue. So when NAPTIP came up to us, that they wanted to collaborate, I was glad. I’m happy about it.

“We are going to send circulars to our managers and drivers let them know the do’s and don’ts, contact of NAPTIP officers in all states of the Federation, so in case they suspect such movement, they can always alert our management to expedite actions instantly.

“If we as management notice a suspicious movement from our staff, we will surely penalized that person and ensure he or she will be brought to book.”