The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) on Monday raised the alarm that human trafficking now takes a new twist, as traffickers now recruit young people for organ harvesting.
This is even as Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has declared that there will be no more hiding place for traffickers in the State.
The Benin Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Nduka Nwanwenne, made the disclosure to journalists in Benin during a five-kilometre walk in commemoration of the United Nation Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
He expressed worry that the fight against human traffickers no longer concentrate on trafficking young girls for prostitution only, but have left the cities to the rural areas where they now recruit unsuspecting victims for organ harvesting.
Nwawwenne disclosed that the agency has rescued no fewer than 500 victims of human trafficking in 2018, adding that the Zonal Command has intensified its enlightenment campaign as part of strategy to win the fight against human trafficking.
He said more collaborative effort was needed in the fight against human trafficking and illegal migration.
Also speaking, Zonal Commandant, Nigerian Immigration Services, Mr. Kayode Eniolohunda, represented by Ehijele Esohe, said the Command has been in the forefront of the fight against irregular migration in the country.
In his remark, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), represented by its Deputy Superintendent, Akhademe Faith, called on stakeholders to join hands together to put an end to human trafficking in order to restore the pride and dignity of the country.
Speaking at a conference organised by the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking, Governor Obaseki vowed that his administration, in collaboration with stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking and illegal migration, would ensure that the ugly trend was reduced to the barest minimum, even as he declared that there is no hiding place for traffickers in the State.
The conference is to examine and proffer solutions to the root causes of human trafficking in the state.
According to Obaseki, the major reasons people took to irregular migration were economic pressure, family pressure and unemployment, and assured that his administration was working tirelessly to create jobs for Edo citizens.
“As 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.
The Governor restated that his administration was committed to taking governance directly to the people to provide them with opportunities, which was 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 that measures had 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 and stressed that the Royal Majesty’s intervention had in no small way, discouraged many Edo people from embarking on the risky journeys.
Social justice activist, Dr. Ayode Alakija, in her keynote address, said that a total of 1,037 people travelled from Kano State to Tripoli, Libya, daily.
She urged governments at all levels to show commitment in solving the humanitarian crisis in areas that have high numbers of persons who embarked 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, assured that the EU would continue to support Nigeria in tackling irregular migration and human trafficking.
