Declare total war on human trafficking, Dabiri-Erewa urges NAPTIP
Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has called for a total war against human trafficking in Nigeria, urging a unified and aggressive response to tackle the menace.
Speaking during a strategic meeting with the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Hajia Binta Adamu Bello, at the NiDCOM headquarters in Abuja, Dabiri-Erewa emphasized that combating trafficking requires a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” approach.
She acknowledged the strides already made in the fight against trafficking but insisted that more must be done to dismantle trafficking networks.
“Traffickers must be named, shamed, and made to face stricter penalties to serve as a strong deterrent to others,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa commended ongoing collaborative efforts and arrests made so far, but reiterated the need for intensified action to completely stamp out the criminal enterprise.
“All we just hope for is that these people, we should see them, name and shame them, the way they do drug traffickers.
“It’s a very dangerous field. We must declare war against human trafficking. And the idea about the multi-agency collaboration, NAPTIP, NIDCOM, Refugee Commission, Humanitarian, even the Ministry of Youth, needs to join us in this fight”.
She stressed that NAPTIP cannot do the work alone and therefore called for closer collaboration with NiDCOM, the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), and other sister agencies, to curb the menace
Like NiDCOM, the Commission’s Chairman also pushed for more flexible policies and better funding to help NAPTIP to fully carry out its mandate against the menace.
“And for NAPTIP to do it, they need all the support. The whole amount of support that you are getting. And I believe that NAPTIP, just like you, NIDCOM, deserves to be better funded.
The NiDCOM boss thanked the support of the First Lady Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), neighbouring governments, Nigerian Diaspora Communities, Wema bank and NGOs for helping to rescue and reintegrate trafficked victims.
She commended the NAPTIP DG for her dedication and pledged continued support, adding, “We will continue to do our best to save these young ones and encourage safe and regular pathways for migration.”
Hajia Bello thanked Dabiri-Erewa for NiDCOM’s support, especially in the recent rescue of 231 young Nigerians from Ghana. She agreed that tackling human trafficking requires joint action from government, society, and key stakeholders.
The Director General, NAPTIP, stressed the need for more awareness across all levels to highlight the dangers of trafficking.
“We rescued last week 19 girls, all pregnant for one man in an estate in Abuja, received 9 girls from Cote D’ivoire, and other sordid stories to mention here”, she said.
Recognising NiDCOM’s role in engaging with Nigerians in the diaspora, she expressed her commitment to strengthening the NiDCOM-NAPTIP relationship.
Bello assured that the Agency will continue to protect the rights and dignity of Nigerians against trafficking in persons.
