..says organisation rescued over 2,000 Nigerian children in one year

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Africa (NIDO Africa) has intensified efforts to combat human trafficking and drug abuse through a sensitisation programme for students in Benue State.

The awareness campaign was held at Padopas Harmony Secondary School in Makurdi, where students were educated on the dangers of trafficking, illegal migration and substance abuse.

The event was led by the Continental Chairman of NIDO Africa, Jude Osakwe, who said the campaign was part of the organisation’s grassroots strategy to protect young Nigerians from falling victim to traffickers and drug syndicates.

Speaking during the sensitisation programme, Osakwe said the organisation decided to take the awareness campaign directly to schools in order to reach young people before traffickers do. According to him, many Nigerian children are deceived with promises of greener pastures abroad only to end up in exploitative and dangerous situations.

“We are here at Padopas Harmony Secondary School to talk to the children on the evils of child trafficking and drug abuse because this is what is eating deep into the fabric of our nation. Children are being taken out of the country with promises of better opportunities, but many of the girls end up in prostitution while the boys are subjected to forced labour,” he said.

He further revealed that some victims are trafficked for even more disturbing purposes. “Some are also taken to have their organs harvested. That is why it is important that we start from the grassroots and educate children and their parents about these dangers,” he added.

Osakwe explained that the organisation distributed flyers, textbooks and customised notebooks containing messages on the dangers of human trafficking and drug abuse to reinforce the awareness campaign among the students.

According to him, human trafficking remains deeply rooted in Nigeria and across the West African region. He disclosed that NIDO Africa has been actively involved in rescuing Nigerian children from trafficking networks across neighbouring countries.

“I must state that the issue of human trafficking is deeply rooted in our country. We rescue Nigerians almost every day, particularly in West African countries,” he said.

He noted that illegal migration is more common in North Africa where migrants attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, while human trafficking is the major challenge within the West African sub-region.

“Just within the space of one year we rescued over 2,000 children from Ghana and they are all Nigerians,” Osakwe disclosed, adding that the victims were mostly between the ages of 10 and 15.

The NIDO Africa chairman also narrated a shocking case involving a trafficker who smuggled several Nigerians, including members of his own family, into Ghana. “Someone trafficked 15 persons from Nigeria to Ghana and two of the victims were his own blood sisters. Fortunately we rescued them and arrested him,” he said.

According to Osakwe, the trafficker was eventually convicted in Ghana and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. “After serving his prison term he will also pay compensation to each of the children he trafficked,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, the Makurdi Zonal Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mrs. Gloria Bai represented by the Head of Public Enlightenment, Torkwase Yaji, described the initiative as timely and commendable.

The Zonal Commander said awareness campaign was crucial in protecting young people from exploitation and human rights abuses. “Human trafficking is a grave human rights violation and there is every need for all stakeholders to join hands together to end the exploitation of children,” she said.

She noted that the agency was working round the clock urging members of the public to report cases of trafficking, assuring that the agency would take swift action to rescue victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

Vice Principal (Academics) of Padopas Harmony Secondary School, Catherine Achagh, expressed appreciation to NIDO Africa for bringing the campaign to the school.

“This topic is very important because it is what is affecting our communities today and the children need this information,” Achagh said, adding that the school community was grateful for the educational materials and support provided to the students.

Similarly, the teacher in charge of the school’s anti-human trafficking project, Lynda Bem, described the sensitisation programme as timely given the increasing cases of child trafficking across the country.
“We are in an era where many children are trafficked out of the country with the promise of good jobs but end up in dehumanising situations. This intervention is important and we urge NIDO Africa to sustain the campaign,” she said.

Some of the students who participated in the programme also shared their experiences and lessons learned from the sensitisation exercise.

An SS3 student, Samuel Adikpe, said the programme opened his eyes to the dangers of trafficking and drug abuse. He noted that he had learned the importance of always informing parents or guardians about his movements.

Another student, Priscillia Terna of SS1, said the sensitisation was an eye-opener for her and her classmates. “They have opened our eyes to what we didn’t know about the implications of human trafficking and drug abuse on young people,” she said.

The highlight of the event was an interactive session where students were educated on how trafficking networks operate and the need to remain vigilant. Educational textbooks and customised notebooks containing anti-trafficking messages were also distributed to the students to reinforce the campaign’s message.