By: TUNDE BOLAJI MINNA.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in Niger State has said that they are all out and set to collaborate with relevant agencies and critical stakeholders in the state.
The move by the agency in the State is in a bid to curtail the trafficking of child sex trafficking. It has also requested teamwork with other security agencies and members of the Public to make the state uninhabitable for trafficking and exportation of underage girls for prostitution outside the country.
The State Commander of the Agency in Niger State, Mr. Emmanuel Awhen stated this while fielding questions from Journalists in his office in Minna.
He maintained that the agency in Ñiger State will collaborate with other related agencies in the state to bring an end to the scourge of trafficking in persons just as he called on the people of the state to report any case of child trafficking to the command for prompt action.
“NAPTIP as an agency is new in Niger State. We have visited all relevant sister security agencies, the DSS, the Police, the Civil Defence, and all critical stakeholders.
The visit is to see how to collaborate with them to bring an end to child trafficking, at least to the barest level, in Niger State.
We need information from the people of Niger State to bring these traffickers to justice,” the commander requested.
Mr. Emmanuel Awhen described the increasing rate of children of school age, particularly girl children, being engaged as housemaids, calling on perpetrators to cease or they should be prepared to incur the full wrath of the agency.
He said, NAPTIP, as an agency saddled with the mandate in the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of offenders of child trafficking and child labour, as well as exploitation and prostitution, will go after such offenders in the state.
According to the state commander of the agency, the Niger State Command came into existence about two months ago as a result of its transit to the neighbouring country, adding that the Niger State Command was established to checkmate the trafficking of underage children out of the country.
Speaking further, the state Commander of the agency told Journalists that NAPTIP will also go after medical personnel who are involved in trafficking in kidneys, disclosing that in the agency, there is a law known as ‘Organ harvest’. NAPTIP, as an agency, will go after such medical personnel.”
Mr. Emmanuel Awhen then admonished media practitioners in the state to partner with the state Command of the agency to collectively achieve the set goal of NAPTIP in the onslaught against trafficking in persons in Niger State.