The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa has called for a whole-of- government and society approaches against human trafficking in Nigeria.
Dabiri-Erewa made the declaration at a strategic meeting with Hajia Binta Adamu Bello, the Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), at the Commission Headquarters in Abuja.
Dabiri-Erewa noted that while progress has been made, more needs to be done, stressing that the traffickers should be named and shamed while enforcing stricter penalties as a deterrent to other criminal actors.
She said NAPTIP cannot work alone and called for closer collaboration with NiDCOM, the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), and other sister agencies, to curb the menace
Like NiDCOM, the Commission’s Chairman also pushed for more flexible policies and better funding to help NAPTIP to fully carry out its mandate against the menace.
The NiDCOM boss thanked the support of the First Lady Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), neighbouring governments, Nigerian Diaspora Communities, Wema bank and NGOs for helping to rescue and reintegrate trafficked victims.
She commended the NAPTIP DG for her dedication and pledged continued support adding, “we will continue to do our best to save these young ones and encourage safe and regular pathways for migration”.
Hajia Bello thanked Dabiri-Erewa for NiDCOM’s support, especially in the recent rescue of 231 young Nigerians from Ghana. She agreed that tackling human trafficking requires joint action from government, society, and key stakeholders.
The Director General, NAPTIP, stressed the need for more awareness across all levels to highlight the dangers of trafficking.
She said, “we rescued last week 19 girls all pregnant for one man in an estate in Abuja, received 9 girls from Cote D’ivoire, and other sordid stories to mention here”, she said.
Recognising NiDCOM’s role in engaging with Nigerians in the diaspora, Hajia Bello expressed her commitment to strengthening the NiDCOM-NAPTIP relationship.
She assured that the Agency will continue to protect the rights and dignity of Nigerians against trafficking in persons.
