The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has revealed that the South-East region of Nigeria has one of the highest cases of human trafficking in the country. This was disclosed by the Director General of NAPTIP, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, at a workshop in Enugu organized by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in partnership with NAPTIP.
According to Waziri-Azi, the South-East region, particularly Enugu State, has a high rate of human trafficking, making it a priority area for the agency’s advocacy project. She emphasized that human trafficking is the second major crime in the world but regretted that many Nigerians view it as a minor crime.
Waziri-Azi urged stakeholders to collaborate and fight human trafficking, which affects both young and adult victims. She encouraged the public to take the campaign to their communities for effective sensitization.
The Head of West Africa Region of ICMPD, Mr. Mojisola Sodeinde, commended the efforts of NAPTIP and partners in the fight against human trafficking. He emphasized the need for a strong educational framework to inform, protect, and empower students to be vigilant against human trafficking.
The ICMPD and NAPTIP have collaborated to infuse human trafficking concepts into school curricula and teacher training programs. The project aims to selecting 50 schools in Enugu to serve as pillars for the project, where students will be educated to recognize, resist, and report human trafficking dangers.
The Commissioner for Education in Enugu State, Prof. Leonard Mbah, promised to take the sensitization to secondary schools, while the Chairman, South-East Traditional Rulers Council, Chief Samuel Asadu, urged the organization to partner with celebrities for speedy awareness.
The workshop aimed to validate the report of the baseline carried out for the advocacy project by NAPTIP and ICMPD. The project is funded by the European Union and ECOWAS and implemented by IOM, ICMPD, and ILO.
