No Hiding Place for Human Traffickers in Edo, Obaseki Warns …500 victims rescued by NAPTIP in 2018

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Monday vowed that his administration, in collaboration with stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking and illegal migration, will ensure the ugly trend is reduced to the barest minimum.

He also declared that there is no hiding place for traffickers in the state.

Obaseki made the vow at a conference organised by the Edo State Taskforce against Human Trafficking to examine and proffer solutions to the root causes of human trafficking in the state.

According to him, the major reasons people take to irregular migration are economic and family pressure and unemployment, and assured the state that his administration is working tirelessly to create jobs for Edo citizens.

"As a governor, I have vowed to reduce irregular migration in the state to the barest minimum before the end of my tenure with your help.

"My administration has put in place measures which include resettling victims of human trafficking after they are rescued. We provide medical assistance to the returnees as well as training to assist them to acquire skills," he said.

Meanwhile, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has disclosed that no fewer than 500 victims of human trafficking have been rescued from January to July this year.

The Benin Zonal Commander of the agency, Mr. Nduka Nwanwenne, made this known during a five-kilometre walk in commemoration of this year’s UN Day Against Trafficking in Persons held in Benin City, capital of Edo State.

He explained that as part of efforts in winning the fight against human trafficking the Zonal Command has intensified enlightenment campaign in the rural areas as the traffickers have left the cities to recruit innocent victims from the rural areas.

Nwanwenne noted that the fight has taken a new dimension as traffickers no longer concentrate on young girls for prostitution but also younger people for organ harvesting.

The zonal commander of NAPTIP in Benin added that more collaborative effort is needed in the fight against human trafficking and irregular migration.

However, Obaseki has further restated that his administration is committed to taking governance directly to the people to provide them with opportunities, which is one of the reasons people embarked on illegal migration.

He listed Uhunmwode and Orhionmwon as the local government areas with the highest numbers of persons engaged in irregular migration, and assured them that measures have been put in place to boost economic activities in the areas.

The governor commended the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, for his support in the fight against the menace, stressing that the monarch’s intervention has hugely discouraged many Edo people from embarking on the risky journeys.

Social justice activist, Dr. Ayode Alakija, in her keynote address, said a total of 1,037 people travel from Kano State to Tripoli, Libya, daily.

She urged government at all levels to show commitment in solving the humanitarian crisis in areas that have high numbers of persons who embark on irregular migration.

The Deputy Head of European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Richard Young, stated that the EU would continue to support Nigeria in tackling irregular migration and human trafficking.

Young commended Obaseki's efforts to lead from the front in the fight against human trafficking and illegal immigration in the state.

On the part of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) represented by its Deputy Superintendent, Akhademe Faith, the agency noted that stakeholders must join hands together to put an end to human trafficking in order to restore the pride and dignity of the country.