.State commits to fight against menace
The Director General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, yesterday, said 68 persons were convicted for human trafficking in 2023.
Waziri-Azi disclosed this at the handover ceremony of a five-room office in Lagos.
The facility will be utilised by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LNSA) and the Lagos State Task Force on Human Trafficking.
Funding for building and furnishing of the office was provided by the United States government and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with NAPTIP.
Waziri-Azi said execution of the project became imperative because data from NAPTIP shows that Lagos is the biggest transit hub and destination for internal or external trafficking.
She said: “If we must tackle the scourge of human trafficking in Nigeria, we need to strengthen our partnership with Lagos.”
According to her, an increasing number of Lagos indigenes are being trafficked, showing there is a problem that needs tackling.
She maintained that human trafficking is a national crisis and all stakeholders must continue to scale up awareness to prevent cases.
She added that awareness promotes early intervention, even as she listed Agege, Ikorodu, Epe, Apapa and Iganmu as places endemic for human trafficking in Lagos.
On his part, Lagos State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Femi Pedro, said the state is renewing its commitment to combating human tracking vigorously.
He warned that perpetrators will face the full wrath of the law, and that anyone could become a victim on account of networks taking advantage of vulnerable people.
He implored residents to unhesitatingly raise the alarm when they see cases or traces of human trafficking, adding that the government cannot fight the menace alone.
Also, LNSA General Manager, Prince Ifalade Oyekan, urged residents to support the agency and the state in tackling human trafficking by providing information.
Providing an overview of the project, UNODC Deputy Country Representative, Danilo Campisi, said the initiative was conceptualised under two projects, namely: ‘Improved Response to Trafficking in Persons in Nigeria (INL)’ and ‘Strengthening Nigeria’s Criminal Justice Response to Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (PROMIS)’.
According to him, in 2022, UNODC commissioned a gap analysis and needs assessment to document the status of established state task forces in Nigeria.
He expressed optimism that the new office will enhance the coordination of response among NAPTIP, the state task force, and LNSA in identification, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking cases in Lagos State.
