NAPTIP has equally urged Nigerians to be wary of online recruitment offers and other “juicy promises” by suspected traffickers, saying human trafficking now takes different forms, including sexual exploitation, organ harvesting, sextortion, child trafficking among others
Ogun State NAPTIP Commander, Bose Jimoh made this call on Friday during a two-day town hall meeting and community engagement on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Violence Against Persons (VAP) held in collaboration with International Centre for Migration Policy Development at Idiroko in the Ipokia Local Government Area of the state.
The programme had in attendance traditional and religious leaders, community development committees, youth groups, market women, transport workers, security agencies and other stakeholders.
Jimoh said that essentially the engagement and town hall meeting was to help build the capacity of relevant stakeholders in the border community to help fight the menace of human trafficking.
She disclosed that the Idiroko border remained a strategic location in the fight against human trafficking because of its proximity to an international border and its use as a transit route by traffickers.
She said that "So, we are here to build the capacity of relevant stakeholders, especially the community members. You know, victims of human trafficking are usually recruited from the communities for exploitation within or outside the country.
"Hence, the capacity building which is being done in partnership with ICMPD and funded by the Kingdom of Netherlands is to ensure that these key stakeholders are well equipped with sufficient information so that when they see the red flags, they can quickly raise the alarm and get such case of human trafficking reported and action will be taken immediately.
"And it is also important to say that Idiroko being a border community is very critical. That is where most victims of human trafficking are usually taken through being one our major international borders".
Jimoh warned that traffickers are not relenting in their effort to make sure that they take advantage of any opportunity adding that part of what is trending now are online recruitment, sex trafficking, organ harvesting, baby factory among others urging the people to remain vigilant and report promptly any act of human trafficking
Also speaking, the Project Officer of ICMPD and coordinator of the implementation of the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, Samuel Okoroji, said the engagement was part of efforts to sensitise border communities on trafficking and violence against persons.
Okoroji said ICMPD was implementing two complementary projects under the initiative: the Trafficking in Persons and Violence Against Persons project and the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project.
He said the Idiroko border was deliberately selected because border corridors were particularly vulnerable to trafficking owing to their role as entry and exit points.
He added, “We have come to this community to enlighten everyone, especially along the border corridors, because we discovered that the border corridor is a very strategic place in trafficking because of the international entry and exit.”
According to him, the town hall was designed to promote community participation in prevention, reporting, referral, arrest and prosecution of offenders.
“We are here to rub minds to see how, as a community, we can set up community watch to see how the issue of trafficking in persons and violence against persons can first be prevented through reporting, through referral, and then how arrests can be made of traffickers and violence against persons offenders, and then prosecution,” he said
Okoroji said the engagement would also produce a communique through which stakeholders would speak with one voice against trafficking and violence against persons in Idiroko and surrounding communities.
He disclosed that ICMPD and its partners would also provide stakeholders with a compendium of service providers in Ogun State to facilitate the effective referral of trafficking and violence cases and support for victims.
Speaking at the event, a community leader and the Ajiroba of Idiroko, Chief Afolabi Ogunsina hailed NAPTIP and ICMPD for organizing the two days engagement saying that the interaction and the capacity building training would undoubtedly further awaken every stakeholders on the need to support the government to end human trafficking in whatever form in the country.
In a communique issued at the end of the two days event and signed by Akolawole Shoremi, the Coordinator of Ogun State Task Force on Human Trafficking, Bose Jimoh, the State NAPTIP Commander, Chief Daniel Edun representing the traditional institution among others, the 102 participants at the meeting resolved to intensify prevention activities through sustained awareness creation on TIP and VAP in religious centres, schools, markets and all public spaces.
They equally pledged to discourage all factors that drive TIP and VAP in Ogun State; including the identified harmful cultural and religious practices.
The participants also pledged to strengthen community surveillance, especially along the transit routes with a view to identifying and reporting suspicious activities related to TIP and VAP to relevant quarters for action among others.
