The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has secured the convictions of more than 40 suspected human traffickers by various courts in Nigeria for human trafficking offences between January and June 2023.
The director training and manpower development of NAPTIP, Arinze Orakwe made the disclosure at a 3- day training and capacity development orientation on standard reporting template for members of the TIP Media Corps and officers of press and public relations unit held at Golfview Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, supported by FIIAPP/ A-TIPSOM, funded by European Union.
According to him, the traffickers are very deadly and do employ several tricks which include kidnapping, abduction, coercion to lure their victims to submission, stressing that the traffickers do assassinate their victims when they are not cooperating and felt they may be exposed.
Orakwe, who urged journalists to show interest and compassion in the reportage of human trafficking, cautioned that survivors should not be treated as criminals, saying that they were lured into the crime against their consent, with promises of greener pastures abroad.
While fielding questions, the NAPTIP chieftain pointed out that there are cases where survivors are hostile and failed to cooperate with the agency to ensure successful prosecution for conviction.
This, he said, is caused by pressure from parents and relations in order to save the traffickers, who are most times family members, believed were out to assist them out of poverty.
On how to stem the tide of citizens falling prey for human trafficking, he said the Federal Government should make the environment conducive by providing social welfare scheme, massive jobs and other things that make live comfortable.
“People fall prey for human trafficking because the country is not conducive for them and want to travel at all cost for greener pastures. They are deceived with non-existing job and eventually they end up into prostitution. Government should make the country a home – is – home, where there is social welfare scheme and job opportunity for all.
“As far as corruption thrives, trafficking will still thrive. So far as schools are still shut for eight months, trafficking will still thrive. So far as parents cannot feed their family, trafficking will still thrive”, Orakwe maintained.
