Trafficking to Vietnam on the rise, says NAPTIP
…says 2,112 victims rescued in 2023
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said there has been an increase in cases of trafficking to Vietnam since the year began.
The agency also said it has secured 14 convictions this year, adding that 243 cases were pending before various courts across the country.
NAPTIP also revealed that five defendants comprising Alliance Hospital, doctors, recruiter and broker, were arraigned in court last week for an alleged case of kidney harvesting.
The Director General of the Agency, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at the 26th National Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Human Trafficking.
She revealed that the agency received and investigated 968 human trafficking complaints in 2023, adding that 507 which represents 68.1 percent were for internal trafficking complaints, while 303 which represents 31.9 per cent were for external trafficking complaints.
The DG also said 86 cases were charged to court and 67 convictions secured.
According to Waziri-Azi, the agency rescued, received and supported 2,112 victims last year, out of which 473 were males and 1,639 females.
It noted that females constituted 77.6 per cent of the total victims out of which 43.4% were children.
She also revealed that Benue State had the highest number of indigenes rescued in 2023 followed by Edo, Ondo, and Akwa Ibom States.
For the region, she said the agency rescued and received 47 victims of inward trafficking mostly from West African countries.
On the trends of human trafficking, Waziri-Azi said: “We identified emerging trends and patterns in human trafficking for 2023 to include labour and sexual exploitation to Iraq, mostly to Baghdad and Basra, peer-to-peer recruitment for organ harvesting, sextortion, and human trafficking fueled cyber-fraud.
“Already in 2024, we are seeing incremental cases of trafficking to Vietnam for labor exploitation.”
Highlighting some of the successes recorded recently, Waziri-Azi said: “For the first time a high profile human trafficker was extradited to Italy to serve her 13 years jail term and this was made possible with the collaborative efforts of the Italian Government, DSS, FMoJ, the judiciary and INTERPOL NCB- Abuja.
“For the first time a law enforcement officer was convicted to 5 years imprisonment without the option of fine for facilitating crimes of human trafficking, sending a clear message that no one is above the law.
“Ensuring that justice knows no boundaries, we secured our first mutual legal assistance conviction between Nigeria and Belgium involving a high-profile trafficker. In October 2023 she was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment plus a fine for the role she played in trafficking 12 victims to Belgium for forced prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation.
Read Also: Nigerians lured with fake $900 pay jobs in Ghana, Ivory Coast, others, says NAPTIP
“In January this year, we secured our second mutual legal assistance conviction between Nigeria and Spain involving yet another high-profile trafficker. In the same token, last year we secured a conviction against a foreign national, a Lebanese man for sexual exploitation.
“For the first time on the 18th of March 2024, 5 defendants comprising Alliance Hospital, doctors, recruiter and broker, were arraigned in court for an alleged case of organ harvesting in this instance kidney harvesting.”
She however noted that despite the progress, human trafficking remains an ongoing threat that requires partnership with stakeholders to design creative solutions to understand and tackle the crime.
Also speaking, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi described human trafficking as a crime that violates basic human rights of people.
He noted that traffickers take advantage of people who are poor, uneducated, and unemployed, adding that the crime has damaged the reputation of Nigerians in the international community.
He however said President Bola Tinubu’s led government knows that addressing poverty and underdevelopment was crucial in preventing human trafficking.
Fabemi said: “Human trafficking preys on the most vulnerable members of our society and demands a holistic and concerted response from all sectors. The complexity of counter-human trafficking efforts in Nigeria lies in the intricacies of our social fabric and the trans-national nature of the crime.
“Traffickers exploit the vulnerabilities of people, leveraging poverty, lack of education, and unemployment to ensnare their victims with promises of a better life.
“The porous nature of our borders and the sophisticated networks of these criminals further compound the challenge of combatting this menace.
“Nigeria, with her rich cultures and peoples, unfortunately serves as a source, transit and destination country for victims of human trafficking. This menace has occasioned great damage to the reputation or profiling of Nigeria in the international community.
“The statistics paint a grim picture, but behind each number lies the stories of those whose freedom and dignity have been truncated. Yet, amidst these challenges, hope remains, and we must reverse this ugly trend.”
He however noted that efforts are ongoing to combat the crime. “We must acknowledge the outstanding efforts of Nigeria in operating a unique counter-trafficking model emulated by other African countries. Nigeria has demonstrated its commitments through not only in high number of convictions but also with the successful rescue and rehabilitation of thousands of victims alongside strategic preventive measures.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led government recognizes that addressing poverty and underdevelopment is crucial in preventing human trafficking. Investing in people, especially young people and the disadvantaged, reduces the desperation that drives individuals into exploitation abroad.
“The government remains committed to scaling social investment programs to provide livelihood support, deterring potential victims from falling prey to traffickers”.
Fagbemi while stating that the fight against human trafficking cannot be shouldered by a single Agency or Arm of government, called on everyone to join hands to tackle human trafficking at all levels.
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