Mrs Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, the Director General of the National Agency for the
Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has stressed the need for aggressive awareness to curb menace of trafficking.
She stated this on Thursday in Abuja at the opening session of a two-day workshop to support NAPTIP on public enlightenment
and awareness creation strategies to curb trafficking in persons nationwide.
The workshop was organised by the International Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP)
working on a project tagged: Action Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in Nigeria (A-TIPSOM).
Sulaiman-Ibrahim, who was represented at the event by Mr Olusayo Olubiyi, the Director, Training and Manpower Development,
NAPTIP, noted that the trend of trafficking was high in the country.
According to her, aggressive awareness is the only way we can use to tackle the crime of trafficking and to secure the future of the country.
He stated that the influence of social media had aggravated the issue of human trafficking, hence the need for prevention, such as awareness creation to nip it in the board.
“You cannot eliminate training to this effect, the trend of trafficking is high, so that is why training of officers is important to combat this crime, I
appreciate the work of A-TIPSOM for supporting NAPTIP.’’
The Director of Public Enlightenment, NAPTIP, Mr Arinze Orakwe, said that the issues that triggered trafficking in human must first be
addressed, otherwise the projected result may not be achieved.
He listed the issues that triggered trafficking as hunger, poverty, financial trouble, unemployment, lack, deprivation and therefore, called on the country
leaders to make sure the country was more promising for Nigerians.
Orakwe added that prevention was the key to stop the menace and called on officers present at the workshop to arm themselves with enough information and strategise to do their best and reduce the crime.
Earlier, A-TIPSOM team leader in Nigeria, Mr Rafael-Rios Molina, said that the training of the officers was to have a common strategy to increase the capacity of the officers.
According to Molina, trafficking crime has been there from time immemorial and the officers must do their best to reduce this crime in the country.
He said that A-TIPSOM would continue to give NAPTIP and other agencies fighting trafficking and smuggling, the needed support and tools to boost their morale to fighting the crime.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants at the workshop were drawn from NAPTIP zonal offices.(NAN)
