Michael Onwuka, Enugu
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has lauded the efforts of Enugu State government in curbing incidences of human trafficking and irregular migration.
The Commander, NAPTIP, South-East Zone, Mrs Nneka Ajie disclosed this on Monday in an interview with Ikengaonline in Enugu.
Ajie, who spoke on the sidelines of the 2022 World Day Against Human Trafficking, said that the state government had shown the political will to end the crime in the area.
She expressed concern that in spite of the rising incidences of human trafficking and irregular migration in the South-East, most state governments in the area had not taken it seriously.
She said that Enugu was the only one in the zone that had supported NAPTIP financially and with other logistics in the crusade against the menace.
The zonal commander also said that the state government had inaugurated the Enugu State Task Force on Human Trafficking and even donated a utility vehicle to NAPTIP.
She said that such support was yielding the desired results in the state as no fewer than 170 suspected traffickers were arrested in the last one year in the state.
“We also owe gratitude to the state government for the success of the 2022 World Day Against Human Trafficking.
“During the event which involved a road walk, the participants which included members of the Civil Society Organisations and other interest groups passionately sensitised members of the public.
“We made sure that shop owners and attendants, hawkers, motorists, commuters, children and others were not left out in the enlightenment programme,” she said.
Ajie advised parents and guardians to guide their children and wards on the right use of digital devices as traffickers had resorted to the deployment of technology to track their victims.
She called on residents of the state to collaborate with the agency in its efforts to eradicate human trafficking and irregular migration in the state, region, Nigeria and the world.
Ajie appealed to perpetrators of such heinous crimes to desist from it or be ready to face the law.
