By YANGE IKYAA
Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has promised a robust collaboration and support to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in order to eliminate the menace of human trafficking and child labour in the state.
The governor, who admitted the prevalence of child trafficking and other forms of exploitation in the state, lamented the painful effects of human trafficking on victims and the society and called for all-inclusive synergy among stakeholders to end the illicit trade.
He stated this in Jalingo, the Taraba State Capital, while inaugurating the Taraba State Task Force on Human Trafficking.
The development came amidst appeals by the director general of NAPTIP, Dr. Fatima Waziri-Azi, that state and non-state actors should ensure that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act of 2015 in the FCT, which Taraba State has since adopted, is sternly applied in view of the horrifying cases of sexual and gender-based violence reported across the country.
Represented by the secretary to the Taraba State government, Mr. Anthony Jellason, the governor commended the NAPTIP DG for her determination and zeal in tackling incidences of human trafficking in the country and promised that his government shall join hands with the agency through the newly inaugurated task force to ensure adequate protection of the people of the state.
He said that the Taraba State government seriously frowns at the “actions of some immoral and indecent people whose business is to aggravate human suffering through human trafficking.
“It has therefore become very expedient as a government to demonstrate our resolve to stamp out this deadliest evil against humanity.
“The inauguration of the Taraba State Task Force on Human Trafficking is a direct effort to eradicate a trade that is slowly emerging in the state.
“It is a common knowledge that the impoverished and uneducated parents and guardians have always been the main target of human traffickers in the State. That does not negate instances where parents who appear to be educated and well to do, also send their children abroad to engage in prostitution and other crimes that are detrimental to human survival.”
Ishaku further called for all round orientation, starting from the family unit to the larger society in order to end the ugly trade in humans.
Responding, the NAPTIP boss, declared that despite the huge challenges posed by incidents of human trafficking in the country, NAPTIP shall continue to go after the traffickers with renewed tactics and vigour.
Dr. Waziri-Azi said “NAPTIP is working assiduously to give effect to the decision of the 45th National Economic Council (NEC) Meeting, which held on the 24th of January in 2013 and agreed that states should support NAPTIP’s activities in order to strengthen the national response to human trafficking at the sub-national level.
This, she said, is the reason why NAPTIP has been collaborating with state governments to set up task force units against human trafficking under the supervision of state governors in order to consolidate the efforts of the agency and other stakeholders.
Her words: “Human Trafficking in Nigeria is not a problem, it is a crises, which has become an international and national concern, especially with the large number of Nigerians trapped in sexual and labor exploitation in various African and European countries.
“Human trafficking, is a multi-billion dollar global industry and second amongst transnational organized crime that exact high human costs leaving many trapped in exploitative situations worldwide.
“Even though accurate data difficult to come by, due to the clandestine nature of the crime, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that no fewer than 40.3 million victims are currently trapped in different forms of human trafficking across the globe, with Nigerians accounting for a great number.
NAPTIP statistics from 2019 till date reveal that 61% of trafficking in Nigeria is done internally, while 39% happens across our borders.
“Happening internally in Nigeria is an increase in inter-state trafficking for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced labor, debt bondage, child labour, illegal adoption, and buying and selling of human beings. In terms of geographic prevalence in cases of human trafficking for the North East, we have seen an increase in cases of domestic servitude, orphanage trafficking, buying and selling of children and trafficking for sexual exploitation.
“The challenges ahead of us are enormous but we remain undaunted, and we must develop new initiatives for ensuring adequate resources for the effective operationalization of the Taraba State Task Force so it can effectively carry out its mandate in terms of the provision of safe spaces and shelters, as well as vocational and formal training opportunities for victims of human trafficking.
“From November 2021 to August 2022, a total of 111 indigenes of Taraba State have been rescued by NAPTIP and other law enforcement agencies in the state. These victims were subjected to child labour, domestic servitude and sexual exploitation.
“Your Excellency, we are not oblivious of the economic challenges faced by states. It is however, our firm believe that NAPTIP’s presence in Taraba State will go a long way in mitigating the crime of human trafficking in the state and better serve the people of Taraba State.”
The NAPTIP DG thanked the Taraba State Governor for the support given to the Task Force with the donation of vehicles and office accommodation. She also assured him of improved counter-trafficking activities in the State.
Dr. Fatima also appreciated IOM for supporting the inauguration of the Taraba State task force unit.
In his goodwill message, representative of the chief of IOM mission in Nigeria, Mr. Tolu Alabi, outlined the various interventions of the organization in the areas of rescue, assisted voluntary return, empowerment of survivors, as well as technical assistance to relevant agencies and promised to step up support to the Taraba State task force.
Also, while on a courtesy visit to the deputy governor of the state, Engineer Haruna Manu, the NAPTIP DG lamented the emerging dimension of human trafficking being fueled by the advent of technology and urged parents to be watchful over the online engagement of their children.
In his response, the Taraba State deputy governor, thanked the NAPTIP boss for the visit and the inauguration of the task force and called for an increase activities of NAPTIP in the state.
Cross section of stakeholders who attended the inauguration commended the the DG for her passion towards eradicating human trafficking in the country and assured the agency of greater collaboration with the Taraba State task force against human trafficking.
