Porous borders, illiteracy, poverty driving trafficking, says Fagbemi

NATIONAL Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons ( NAPTIP) rescued, received and supported 2,112 victims of trafficking in persons in 2023.

The Director- General, Prof Fatima Waziri- Azi, made the disclosure at the 26th National Stakeholders’ Consultation Forum on Human Trafficking in Nigeria, organised by NAPTIP, in partnership with the governments of The Netherlands and Switzerland, yesterday, in Abuja.

“We rescued, received and supported 2,112 victims ( 473 males and 1,639 females). Females constituted 77.6 per cent of the victims, out of which 43.4 per cent were children. Benue State had the highest number of indigenes rescued in 2023 followed by Edo, Ondo and Akwa Ibom states.

“We rescued and received 47 victims of inward trafficking, mostly from West African countries. We have already secured 14 convictions in 2024 and counting, with 243 cases pending before various courts across the country,” she said.

The DG pointed out that the agency, in October 2023, secured its first mutual legal assistance conviction between Nigeria and Belgium involving a highprofile female trafficker, adding: “She was sentenced to 12 years and fine for the role she played in trafficking 12 victims to Belgium for forced prostitution and other forms exploitation.

“Also, we secured a conviction against a Lebanese for sexual exploitation. In January this year, we secured our second mutual legal assistance conviction between Nigeria and Spain involving yet another highprofile trafficker.”

Waziri- Azi attributed the successes recorded by NAPTIP to strong collaboration with partner organisations and the media.

INISTER of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi ( SAN), observed that Nigeria’s porous borders, lack of education and poverty remain key drivers of the crime of trafficking in persons in

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Nigeria.

He said: “Traffickers exploit the vulnerabilities of people, leveraging poverty, lack of education, and unemployment to ensnare their victims with promises of a better life. The porous nature of our borders and the sophisticated network of these criminals further compound the challenge of combating this menace.

“This crime not only corrodes the very foundation of our society, but also violates the most basic human rights of people.”

The National Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Human Trafficking, instituted by NAPTIP, he noted, serves as a vital strategic coordination body.