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  • Over 20,000 trafficked Nigerian girls stranded in Mali, says Edo NAPTIP commander 

    Over 20,000 trafficked Nigerian girls stranded in Mali, says Edo NAPTIP commander 

    Over 20,000 trafficked Nigerians young girls and boys, are currently stranded in Mali, the Edo State Zonal Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mr. Nduka Nwawene has disclosed.

    Nwawenne who spoke Sunday in Benin during the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons lamented that Mali used to be a destination for so many trafficked victims from the Benin Zone, adding that Malians are now being trafficked to the Edo State capital of Nigeria.

    He said: “We just gathered intelligence that victims are now being trafficked from Mali to Benin City. We are currently investigating. Over 20,000 Nigerians young girls and boys, particularly girls are currently stranded in Mali. Mali used to be a destination for so many trafficked victims from this command but the Malians are now coming.

    “We have heard stories of Malian men who are ready to do whatever they can do to meet Nigerian girls but now the reverse is the case. A victim had once confessed that they earned more money going to Mali.”

    At the event which was organized by NAPTIP Edo Command in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other stakeholders. the zonal commander who spoke after a road walk through some major roads in Benin, cried that in the midst of the escalating trafficking issues, global national responses, particularly in developing States, appeared to be deteriorating.

    He said: “Detection rates fell by 11% in 2020 and convictions plummeted by 27%, illustrating a worldwide slowdown in the criminal justice response to trafficking.”

    Nwawenne urged stakeholders to collaborate more in awareness raising and striving to promote community ownership of anti-human trafficking drives.

    The Edo Chairperson, Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Ms Ann Ojugo said that the association would continue to partner NAPTIP in the fight against trafficking.

    Ojugo said that more Persons with Disabilities (PWDS), were becoming victims of trafficking and exploitation due to their specific nature of not having easy access to information.

    He said: “Most of the broadcast stations don’t use sign language interpreters to present issues of national interest, so if a deaf person is watching a programme on human trafficking, he or she can not understand.

    She said, People traffic PWDs from rural areas to the cities for exploration. You see some of them in the motor parks begging for money. Some PWDs in Nigeria are promised greener pasture abroad but they end up being duped and exploited.

  • NAPTIP presents 2 policies document to fight human trafficking

    NAPTIP presents 2 policies document to fight human trafficking

    The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on Thursday in Abuja presented two policy documents to further stem the tide of human trafficking in the country.

    The presentation of the documents was part of the activities lined up for the celebration of the agency’s 20th anniversary.

    The theme of the  Anniversary is “A Shining Legacy: NAPTIP @ 20-Celebrating Partners and Honoring Excellence”.

    The Agency commenced operations in 2003.

    Speaking during the programme, the Director-General of the Agency, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi said the documents included “NAPTIP Disability Inclusion Policy” and  “NAPTIP Service Charter”.

    She said that the first policy document was transcribed into braille for the blind, adding that the National Commission for Persons with Disability facilitated the processes.

    The NAPTIP boss disclosed that the agency had also been remodeled with its App called the Ireporter, and NAPTIP Learning Management System which was supported by the Canadian Government.

    Waziri-Azi stated that NAPTIP had also came up with Audio-Visual Materials developed for use by the Blind and Deaf.

    “To keep things current, for anyone who has noticed, we have rebranded our logo, which has already been mainstreamed.

    “The rebranded logo represents a re-commitment from NAPTIP to protect all persons against human trafficking, and violence against persons through a people-centered access to justice, and the provision of safe spaces.

    “Today is a very special day not just for NAPTIP and Nigeria but for everyone invested in ensuring human trafficking is controlled and victims are secured across the world.

    “It has been 20 years of growth for NAPTIP in an ever-changing world. Our journey has been one of immense determination, resilience and hope.

    “In the past 20 years, we have seen the crime of human trafficking evolve in terms of the enormity, trends and patterns.

    However, in the face of such adversity, we have found strength in collaboration and our collective spirit and determination has brought us this far,” she said.

    The D-G stated that the Agency had witnessed the incredible power of cooperation and the unwavering dedication of countless individuals who have come together to combat the injustice of human trafficking.

    She, however, appreciated all partners who have been of tremendous support to the agency success story and all its staff.

    Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, congratulated NAPTIP for the achievements.

    He disclosed that Nigeria had taken the lead in the league of nations to frontally confronting the criminal elements involved in the exploitation of vulnerable individuals within and across our borders.

    Sani-Gwarzo said that with the support of stakeholders and development partners, the country image had changed from having the worst record of human trafficking, adding that traffickers now think twice before they strike.

    “For us as a Ministry mandated by the Federal Government of Nigeria to supervise the agency, we are very proud of the achievements of the agency within these 20 years and we congratulate the management and personnel for the giant strides.

    “NAPTIP, I must say at this point has become the pride of Nigeria which we are very proud to market to other countries. No wonder, many countries now visit Nigeria regularly to understudy the NAPTIP Model with a view to establishing same in their countries.

    “Just recently, NAPTIP played host to delegation from The Republic of Niger, Cote d Ivoire and The Gambia who visited Nigeria to further strengthen the Bi- Lateral agreement and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),” he said.

    The highlight of the event was the presentation of awards to some Ambassadors and High Commissioners of countries who have offered support to NAPTIP.

    Awards was also given to some foreign agencies, private and government institutions in Nigeria, as well as private individuals.

  • NAPTIP arrests 2 human trafficking suspects in Abuja

    NAPTIP arrests 2 human trafficking suspects in Abuja

    The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP), has arrested two suspects in Abuja over alleged human trafficking.

    The suspects are Awulonu Franklin and Joseph Ukaluo.

    The Director-General (DG) of the agency, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, disclosed on Friday that officers of the agency bursted the trafficking syndicate on Friday, June 9, at about 11:00 hours.

    She said that the suspects are part of the syndicate that specializes in moving young female Nigerians, between the ages of 16 to 26, to India for sexual exploitation and possible organ harvesting.

    Waziri-Azi said that a sting operation was conducted after several days of undercover activity by operatives of the agency.

    She said two female victims, aged between 16 and 22, were rescued just as they were being taken to the Embassy.

    According to him, the victims narrated their pathetic story of how they were lured by the syndicates.

    The DG disclosed that the victims were forced by the suspects to swear to an oath of allegiance in two shrines, located in Delta and Imo.

    Waziri-Azi stated that one of the victims also revealed how her very close friend who has already been trafficked to India was subjected to having sex with a minimum of 10 men daily.

    She further said that the agency was on the trail of the suspects’ accomplices in India.

    The DG said that the two suspects, who claimed to be operating a mobile tour company as at the time of their arrest, were found in possession of 28 passports.

    She said some of the passports indicated that the victims were from Ghana, Republic of Benin, Niger Republic and other countries.

    Waziri-Azi listed other materials found in possession of the suspects as Laptop, phones which are under forensic examination, and other equipment related to the commission of the crime.

    She disclosed that a total of 10 letter-headed papers belonging to different companies were also recovered from the suspects.

    The DG said that the agency had placed the hotel where the victims were harboured on red alert as money was paid on behalf of the victims.

    The DG called on the media to assist the agency by championing the awareness campaign against human trafficking in order to reduce the menace.

    She said the agency had collaborated with many organisations and governments in order to launch a fresh angle to the fight against the crime.

    However, Franklin believed to be a prime suspect in the offence, denied involvement in trafficking, saying he only operates a travel and tour company through which he had assisted many people.

    He said that some of the passports recovered in his possession belonged to some of his clients travelling to study in some countries, including a University in India.

    “My company is registered as ‘Endless travel and tour agent’, and I have been in this business since 2018,” he said.

    Ukaluo also said that he knew Franklin as a travel agent and nothing more than that, adding that they had both lived in the same neighborhood for many years.

    Mr Daniel Atokolo, Director, Investigation and Monitoring Department, told journalists that investigation is ongoing into the matter.

    According to him, the investigation will involve forensic examination of all the properties recovered from the suspects.

  • Amotekun arrests man for selling son to three different buyers at N1.25m

    Amotekun arrests man for selling son to three different buyers at N1.25m

    Operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly referred to as Amotekun Corps, have arrested one Daniel Chigozie for allegedly selling his son to three different buyers in Ogun State.

    The Commandant of the Corps in the state, David Akinremi, disclosed that the Corps got intelligence that Chigozie, a 30-year-old, had sold his nine-month-old son, Daniel Chinonye Darlington, to three different buyers at different locations in Sango, Meiran and Apapa area of Lagos.

    He was said to have sold the baby for N150,000, N400,000 and N700,000 respectively to unknown buyers between August 2022 and February 2023.

    Chigozie, who resides at Abela, Sango-Ota, in the Ado-Odo Local Government Area of the state confessed to the crime.

    “The suspect in his statement confessed to the crime and he is being processed to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for a follow-up investigation to recover the child and prosecution,” Akinremi said.

    Akinremi added that findings by the corps revealed Chigozie had devised a means through which the son was retrieved from each of the buyers after each sale until he sold him to the last buyer, identified as Dr. Nosa, in Apapa.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Amotekun Corps is a security outfit based in all six states of South Western, Nigeria, responsible for curbing insecurity in the region.

    It was founded on 9 January 2020 in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria as the first regional security outfit initiated by a geopolitical zone in Nigeria.

    Amotekun arrests man for selling son to three different buyers for N1.25m

    History
    Amotekun is a Yoruba word that means “One that looks like a leopard,” leopard being translated to “Amotekun”.

    Operation Amotekun (Leopard) was established on 9 January 2020 by the six state governors of all the South Western states of Nigeria: Lagos State, Oyo State, Ogun State, Ondo State, Osun State and Ekiti State.

    The establishment of the security outfit was subject to the decision by all the six state governors at the regional security summit held in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria in June 2019 through Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission (DAWN).

    In support of the outfit, all six state governors contributed 20 vehicles each, except Oyo that contributed 33 vehicles, in order to assist the operatives in carrying out their duties, making a total of 133 vehicles for the startup, they also procured 100 units of motorcycles each, making a total of 600 motorcycles.

    The members of the outfit were drawn from local hunters, the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Agbekoya, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the vigilante group.

  • Court jails 27-year-old woman for human trafficking in Osun

    Court jails 27-year-old woman for human trafficking in Osun

    A 27-year-old woman, Ifeoma Sunday, has been sentenced to four months imprisonment for human trafficking by the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State

    The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, December 7, 2022.

    The agency said the 27-year-old woman Jumakai, Ewele, Ayepe, Osogbo, was convicted by Justice N. Ayo Emmanuel, on Friday, December 2, 2022.

    The offence contravenes the various provisions of the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law Enforcement and Administration Act 2015.

    “The convict – a 27 year old Female of Jumakai, Ewele, Ayepe, Osogbo was sentenced to 4 months imprisonment and asked to pay compensation to her victims, the sum of N300,000 i.e 150,000 naira each for an attempt to recruit two females to Osogbo, Osun state for exploitative prostitution.” the statement read.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that NAPTIP is a law enforcement agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, founded on the 14th of July, 2003 by the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act of 2003 in order to combat human trafficking and other similar human rights violations.

    Court jails 27-year-old woman for human trafficking in Osun

    NAPTIP is a national compliance to the international obligation under the Trafficking in Persons Protocol and responds to the need to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, complementing the United Nations Transnational Organized Crime Convention (UNTOC). It is one of the agencies under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

    Since its inception, the agency have investigated over ten thousand cases of human trafficking and prosecuted about five hundred defaulters.[2] Between 2003 and 2017, they convicted over 331 human traffickers and rescued about 3000 victims from Libya and other places.

    Senator Basheer Mohammed took over from Mrs Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim as the Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in May 2021.

    In September 2021, Senator Basheer Mohammed was replaced by Fatima Waziri-Azi.

     

  • NIS hands over Libya bound 17-yr-old-girl to NAPTIP

    NIS hands over Libya bound 17-yr-old-girl to NAPTIP

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has handed over to NAPTIP, a 17-year-old girl from Oyo State arrested in Kebbi while allegedly on her way to Libya.

    The girl was traveling alone when she was arrested by immigration personnel in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi.

    The NIS Comptroller in the state, Mrs Rabi Bashir-Nuhu, made this known while briefing newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.

    He said that although the girl said she was travelling to Sokoto, “we have the belief that she is being trafficked to go to Libya to be used for labour exploitation, prostitution or organ harvesting”.

    Bashir-Nuhu explained that the girl was intercepted at Yauri border on Nov. 26, unaccompanied, thereby raising suspicion about her movement.

    According to him, the girl said she was sent by her mother to meet one Zainab in Sokoto, who however claimed to be sick when invited to the NIS office in Kebbi.

    “This made us to believe that the girl was a victim of trafficking; she has no any document, has nothing and not even a penny.” Bashir-Nuhu added.

    The controller said it was disheartening that in spite of warnings by NIS and its partners, parents still allow their children to undertake such perilous journey.

    Receiving the victim, the state Commandant, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Alhaji Misbahu Iyya-Kaura, said the agency would investigate the matter.

    He said human trafficking was an organised crime that required concerted efforts to contain.

    “We are going to investigate the recruitment, transit and the final destination of the victim,” he said, and commended NIS for collaborating with the agency to tackle human trafficking in Nigeria.

  • Japa: Why Nigerians are fleeing to foreign countries – NIS

    Japa: Why Nigerians are fleeing to foreign countries – NIS

    The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has disclosed that the alarming rate of Nigerians fleeing to foreign countries is driven largely by social, economic and security concerns.

    The Comptroller of Immigration Service in Enugu State, Mr Joachim Olumba made the disclosure on Thursday at a sensitisation campaign on the scourge of Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) for stakeholders in Enugu State.

    The NIS Directorate organised the enlightenment in collaboration with the International Center for Migration Policy and Development (ICMPD).

    According to Olumba, the rate at which Nigerians flee to foreign countries is becoming a worrisome phenomenon.

    “Indeed, this program couldn’t have been held at a more appropriate time, considering the alarming rate at which, not only the youth, but older generation of Nigerians exhibit interest to leave the country.

    “This is creating a worrisome phenomenon which has come to be popularly known in local parlance as “Japa”, he said.

    He said the appetite to jet out of the country was usually driven largely by social, economic and security concerns, adding that Nigerians, especially the youth, were leaving the shores of the country in their droves.

    “To many, what is paramount is to achieve the goal of migrating from the country and not the means of reaching their destinations.

    “Whether they are smuggled or trafficked, or they even get to leave the country by means of stowaway, does not really matter to them.

    “The ultimate interest is to relocate to foreign lands. As far as the vast majority are concerned, the end will eventually justify the means,” he said.

    The comptroller said the desperation had brought unspeakable and unprintable hardships on numerous migrants.

    He further said many have oftentimes been subjected to various degrees of harrowing experiences that eventually hunt them for the rest of their lives.

    “This life of regret occasioned by the ill-advised mission to migrate by all means have exercised far-reaching consequences on countless victims of SOM.

    “This is why this Sensitization and Enlightenment campaign has become auspicious and absolutely necessary.

    “It is designed to equip migration managers and stakeholders with adequate knowledge to contain the scourge.

    “And to arm the public with relevant information on how not to migrate in order to escape being victims of desperate promoters of SOM and TIP,” he said.

    He disclosed the event would expose the reality that “not all offers to take our beloved ones overseas should be accepted.”

    He commended the NIS and their collaborators for bringing the campaign to Enugu.

    “You have undoubtedly taken a proactive action to stem the growing and troubling incidence of SOM in the state and beyond.

    “We hope that the partnership will be sustained until the dangerous phenomenon is totally eliminated.

    “We must not continue to watch while our children, the future hope of our beloved nation, are daily exposed to the grave danger posed by SOM,” he said.

    In her goodwill message, the South East Zonal Coordinator, NAPTIP, Mrs Nneka Ajie, said it was time for every stakeholder to stand up against the menace.

    “We all have stakes in the scourge; if you don’t stand firm, the scourge will continue,” she said.

    Ajie commended the immigration service for her fight against smuggling of migrants.

    She said that many migrants had met their untimely death through the menace.

  • Human Trafficking: NAPTIP presents 2022-2026 National Action Plan to stakeholders

    Human Trafficking: NAPTIP presents 2022-2026 National Action Plan to stakeholders

    The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on Monday in Abuja presented to its stakeholders the National Action Plan (NAP) on human trafficking for the year 2022-2026.

    The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, during the presentation stated that the document was expected to foster greater collaboration among stakeholders.

    Represented by Mr Charles Anielu, a Director in the ministry, Farouq said that the document would bring efficiency in the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria and set yearly benchmark for stakeholders on the implementation of activities.

    The minister noted that the policy document could not have come at a better time than now when the country was facing a number of social, humanitarian and developmental issues.

    “My ministry has risen to the challenges of delivering on its core mandate of developing humanitarian policies and providing effective coordination of national and international humanitarian interventions.

    “The ministry has risen to ensure strategic disaster mitigation preparedness and response and managing the formulation and implementation of fair focused social inclusion and protection programmes in Nigeria.

    “In a bid to effectively coordinate the wide mandate of the ministry, we developed L.I.F.E Cycle – Lead an Inclusive and Innovative Future-thinking Ecosystem,“ she said.

    The minister said it was an operational coordination initiative which aligned with the activities of all the agencies under the ministry, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

    “This initiative finds expression in NAP on human trafficking in Nigeria (2022 – 2026), which is a coordination framework for counter-trafficking interventions.

    “Since the approval of the document by the Federal Executive Council in February and its public presentation at the National Stakeholders Consultative Forum (NSCF) on human trafficking in April, the document was yet to be fully mainstreamed,” Farouq said.

    She said that it was imperative to convene the meeting as a platform to engage heads of Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) and other relevant organisations to understand their roles in the implementation of the document.

    Earlier in her address of welcome, NAPTIP Director-General, Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi, stated that human trafficking had remained a source of threat to international, national, and human security and had become the greatest contemporary challenges.

    She said that the Nigerian government had over the years realised the strategic roles of all segments of the society in combatting the social ill, hence the need why government through NAPTIP was approaching the menace in various dimensions.

    Waziri-Azi stated that after the establishment of NAPTIP, the agency had continuously developed and expanded structures to deepen the involvement of relevant actors in stemming the tide of human trafficking in Nigeria.

    “You would recall that in 2009, NAPTIP developed a Four-Year National Action Plan (NAP) on Trafficking in Persons (2009-2012) that became a collaborative framework that set the benchmarks for interventions by all stakeholders.

    “The implementation of the first edition of `NAP On Human Trafficking (2009-2012)` provided the much needed framework for a coordinated response to human trafficking in Nigeria among the stakeholders.

    “The first edition led to numerous achievements recorded by the agency in the succeeding years. Some of these achievements were the landmark upgrading of Nigeria to Tier One status for three consecutive years in the US, 2009 – 2012,“ she said.

    Waziri-Azi said that upon the expiration of the timeframe of the NAP 2009 – 2012, there were a number of unsuccessful attempts to develop the next Action Plan until 2017 when NAPTIP and stakeholders came together.

    “This first activity heralded the commencement of the development of the new NAP (2022 – 2026) which we are presenting today,” she said.

    According to her, the report of the appraisal and the findings from the baseline assessment of the trafficking situation in Nigeria were presented to the stakeholders at the first workshop held between Nov. 23 and Nov. 25, 2020.

    Waziri-Azi commended some relevant partners such as the UN Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) which had been supporting NAPTIP on the fight against the menace.

  • NAPTIP arrests woman for flogging granddaughter to death, dumps body in bush

    NAPTIP arrests woman for flogging granddaughter to death, dumps body in bush

    Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Anambra State Command, has arrested a 37-year-old woman, Udeogu Chinelo, for allegedly flogging her three-year-old grand daughter to death.

    The offence of the deceased was unclear but she was said to have started convulsing after the beating and was rushed to hospital where died.

    Confirming the incident, NAPTIP Public Relations Officer, Okafor Anthony, said the victim reportedly died on September 29, 2022.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the suspect reportedly dumped the girl’s body in a bush.

    NAPTIP is a law enforcement agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, founded on the 14th of July, 2003 by the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act of 2003 in order to combat human trafficking and other similar human rights violations.

    It is national compliance with the international obligation under the Trafficking in Persons Protocol and responds to the need to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, complementing the United Nations Transnational Organized Crime Convention (UNTOC).

    NAPTIP is one of the agencies under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

    Since its inception, the agency has investigated over ten thousand cases of human trafficking and prosecuted about five hundred defaulters. Between 2003 and 2017, they convicted over 331 human traffickers and rescued about 3000 victims from Libya and other places.

    Senator Basheer Mohammed took over from Mrs Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim as the Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in May, 2021.

    In September, 2021, Senator Basheer Mohammed was replaced by Fatima Waziri-Azi.

    NAPTIP was established under a federal bill on July 14, 2003[8] by the Trafficking in Persons(Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act (2003)[9] through the advocacy of Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF).

    Since its inception, the agency has had over 331[4] convictions on human trafficking, as of September 2017. Between 2003 and 2017, over 3000 victims have been rescued by NAPTIP.

    The agency has been at the forefront of rescuing and rehabilitating Nigerians from Libya, with the help of Federal Government, International Office or Migration, and other international organizations, which has gotten a commendation from United States.

  • [Video]: NAPTIP arrest woman for beating maid to death

    [Video]: NAPTIP arrest woman for beating maid to death

    The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has arrested a woman for beating her maid to death, and dumping her body in the bush.

    In a video making the rounds, the woman was heard narrating in Igo, how the incidence happened.

    According to the woman, she said, “I beat her and she started convulsing so I took her to Kings (hospital). Getting there, she died, so I threw her body here.”

    it was reported that the incidence took place in Anambra state, and the victims body was already decomposing in the video shared online.

    See video below:

     

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