Edo, Delta top in cases of human trafficking

Tue, Jun 25, 2019 | By publisher


Crime

STATISTICS have shown that Edo and Delta States have the highest number of persons trafficked out of the country.

The Zonal Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP), Benin zone, Barr. Nduka Nwenwene, disclosed this on Tuesday.

He made the disclosure during an event organised by an NGO, Re-educating Africans on the Risk and Dangers in Unplanned Journey Abroad, RARDUJA, in Benin.

According to him; “In 2011, NAPTIP brought back 104 girls from Mali. Out of that 104 girls, 60 of them came from Edo State, 30 came from Delta state.

“So, you found that the two states of Edo and Delta, they have taken 90, leaving only 14 for the rest states in the country, and it should not be so, because Edo and Delta states are not the poorest states. They are not the poorest states at all,” he stressed.

Nwenwene noted that even though the government has failed to provide jobs for her citizens that is still not enough reason for people to embark on such a dangerous journey.

He, therefore, called on Nigerians to report any case of human trafficking to NAPTIP adding that the battle can only be worn collectively.

On his part, speaking on the theme: “Say No to Unplanned Journey Abroad,” the Coordinator of RARDUJA International, Ambassador Eddy Duru, said, “Our quest is to continue to re-educate our people, Nigerians on the risks and all the hazards that are associated with this traveling through the sea and the desert especially unplanned even through the air. Many who are there right now are frustrated,” he said.

Duru said there is a lot to achieve in Nigeria, but what Nigerians needed is the ability to look inward and find something meaningful to do.

He added that while some Nigerians were leaving the country for the fear of Boko Haram in the recent past, other foreigners were trooping into the country for businesses just because they were able to see what others could not see in the country.

He said RARDUJA is not against anybody traveling abroad but should anyone wants to travel, he should follow the due process to avoid the risk of losing one’s life in a bid to travel out of the country.

-PUNCH

BE

– June 25, 2019 @ 18:20 GMT |

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