The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has said that the International Organisation for Migration has facilitated the return of 14 victims of human trafficking to Nigeria.
The victims who are between the ages of 14 and 37 years were rescued from different areas of Mali, from where they boarded a commercial aircraft back to
Nigeria.
The Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Daniel Atokolo, said that IOM had earlier returned over 10, 000 trafficked persons back to Nigeria.
NAPTIP said that the youngest of the returnees from Mali was 14 years old, while the oldest was 37 years old.
NAPTIP told our correspondent that the returnees from Mali arrived at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday.
NAPTIP disclosed that out of the 14 Possible Victims of Human Trafficking, two each hailed from Delta, Abia and Benue states, respectively, while one each hailed from Osun, Oyo, Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Cross Rivers, Rivers and Edo state, respectively.
The Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Atokolo said that IOM had been in partnership with NAPTIP for a very long time and had assisted in the fight against human
trafficking.
He said that the organisation had done so well in the struggle to end human trafficking worldwide.
He said the body had returned so many Nigerians from different countries.
“Fourteen Possible Victims of Human Trafficking (PVOHT) were rescued from different parts of Mali. They are all Nigerians and are also females. The first batch was rescued on October 25 this year, while the second batch were rescued on November 6, 2018. We are expecting them to return to the country today by 3pm. We are going to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, to receive them,” he said.
Condemning human trafficking, a lawyer, Afolabi Babafemi, said, “Human trafficking is an evil against humanity. The dastardly act is against the law of Nigeria. Human trafficking is the new slave trade in the world today. People should now give their daughters out to people who would promise them a prosperous lifestyle in return. They will tell you that their daughter or son will be doing a very good job that won’t be stressful but when they get there they will become a slave. The women are used as sex slaves while the men will be made to do hard and risky jobs they are interested in. Many of such victims have been killed or maimed in the process, both in Nigeria and outside the country.
“There are jobs in Nigeria which people can do to make money. You don’t need to travel abroad or run to another state to make money. Just think very well on what to do in any environment that will attract money. Don’t fall prey to human traffickers. They are slave traders. They are predators looking for who to devour.”
