Security
THE National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it has rescued four young girls, who are indigenes of Akwa Ibom, that were trafficked to Mali for sexual exploitation.
The Uyo Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mr Emmanuel Awhen, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Tuesday.
Awhen said the four girls were rescued in collaboration with their partner, Global Anti-human Trafficking Organisation (GAHTO) working with the agency in Mali.
He said that the four girls were lucky, as one of them had a phone number of a NAPTIP official and was able to call through someone’s phone to inform the officer of their ordeal in Mali.
“Acting on the information, we swung into action and in collaboration with the GAHTO, the four young girls were rescued and reunited with families in Akwa Ibom.
“The girls were deceived and trafficked to Mali with the guise of them going to work in a supermarket and saloon, but they ended up in forced labour and sexual exploitation.
“Luckily for them, one has our phone number and called through a person’s phone. She also sent numerous voice notes, which we used to connect and repatriate them back to Akwa Ibom using our international partners,” Awhen said.
Awhen said that the rescued girls disclosed to them that more than 50 young girls from the state were in Mali doing prostitution.
The zonal commander added that the agency in the last one month had secured conviction of one of the human traffickers, who specialised in recruiting young girls to Mali and Cote’dIvoire for sex slavery.
“It’s noteworthy that same incident happened in Cote’dIvoire, when we received calls from Akwa Ibom girls, who were deceived and trafficked to the country but were forced into prostitution and sexual exploitation.
“We used our network to arrest the trafficker involved, she was charged to court and she is currently serving 12 years in prison,” he said.
He appealed to parents and guardians to be mindful of those coming to take their young girls with the intention for greener pastures, stressing that they might end up in child labour or prostitution.
The zonal commander solicited support from the state government, well-meaning individuals and organisations in the state to support the agency in the fight against human trafficking, as the federal government could not do it alone.
The zonal commander urged traffickers to desist from such act, as the state and country were no longer safe for such erroneous crime.
He urged victims of human trafficking, parents and guardians and the general public to reach the agency for help on the following phone numbers; 08069539747, 08023574406 and 08035961835. (NAN)
A.I
Oct. 29, 2024
Tags: Mr Emmanuel Awhen NAPTIP
