Edo Govt’s Strategy in Fight against Human Trafficking Data-driven, Says Obaseki

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the state government is sincere about the fight against human trafficking and the challenges posed by the menace.

Obaseki said living in denial would not help the fight, which explained why his administration carried out extensive research to situate the root causes and tackle it head on relying on evidential data gathered from returnees.

The governor, who disclosed this at the 2018 National Alumni Lecture of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, in Ibadan in a lecture entitled: ‘Technical Education and Skills Acquisition As Imperative for Youth Empowerment’, said data collected from Libya returnees and other victims of human trafficking have revealed the complexities of human trafficking particularly the scope, travel routes and communities most prone to the menace.

According to Obaseki, “As you might be aware, Edo State was almost becoming synonymous with human trafficking. Today, the story is different. We have admitted that it is our challenge. From our investigations, we now have a better understanding of the root causes, the push and pull factors, etcetera.

“Our analysis and research from the data that we have gathered have assisted us tremendously in understanding the size, scope, demographics, travel routes and the communities most prone to trafficking. In other words, we now have a better understanding of how complex the problem is.”