Kwara Is Hotspot For Human Trafficking – NGO

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Thursday, July 29th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), an NGO, says Kwara is a hot spot for human trafficking because of the state’s geographical.

Mr Oyedeji Olufemi, the Kwara Coordinator of NACTAL, said this on Thursday in Ilorin during a stepdown training on Countering Trafficking in Persons (CTIP).

According to him, the state is having national and international borders.

He explained that Kwara is a gateway between the North and South of the country and also borders with Republic of Benin.

Olufemi noted that traffickers recruit targets into forced prostitution, forced labour and organ harvesting, among others.

He stated that young people who are future generation and bedrock of the nation are being lost to trafficking.

“These people die as they are being trafficked through the Libyan deserts and the Mediterranean seas and organ harvesting,” he said.

According to him, traffickers generate about $150 billion through their nefarious activities of human, drug trafficking and gun running.

“Nigeria is however making progress in the area of war against human trafficking. The country is on the second tier of fighting trafficking on the global index,” he said.

Olufemi stated that the training is to create inter agency synergy between organisations in ensuring the issues of human trafficking are tackled effectively.

He noted that to effectively fight trafficking, actors must listen and learn from survivors, adding that the key words are prevention, protection and prosecution.

“We must ensure that victims are not re-trafficked and re-victimised. Human trafficking is a gross violation of human right,” he said.

The NACTAL chairman listed factors responsible for people falling victims to trafficking to include unemployment, insecurity, banditry and war.

He appealed to government at all tiers to take ownership and work in synergy with various international organisations in war against human trafficking, adding that donor fatigue is already setting. (NAN)