FRANTZ Celestin, Head of Mission, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), said that the intervention of His Royal Majesty Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, has helped in fighting trafficking in Edo state.

Celestin made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Abuja.

He explained that following the Oba’s action of breaking curses on trafficked girls and warning the voodoo priests to desist from aiding traffickers a lot of trafficked persons had started to speak out.

Celestin said that by speaking out the victims had assisted law enforcement agents with helpful information on the tactics of traffickers and how to catch them.

He said that if more traditional and religious rulers being well respected by their followers raised their voices, it would help law enforcement agencies to curb human and drug trafficking to their barest minimum.

“Since the Oba’s pronouncement a lot more people are coming forward, a lot more girls and ladies who have been trafficked are talking about it, it is bringing the spotlight to it.

“So, I can imagine the fact that people are now free to talk about it, which is bringing more enlightenment.

“Because to a lot of them, the curses that these traffickers place on them are stronger than pointing a gun at them.

“And since the Oba removed that curse, they now have the boldness to speak.

“I am sure that a lot of people are escaping their bondage simply because of that pronouncement.

“We found out that a lot of people who are trafficked were deceived into it by people very close to them, either in their church, family or communities.

“So, if we can have traditional leaders speaking against this it would help the Law enforcement side tremendously.

“The Oba’s pronouncement has helped the situation on our hands as many people are now coming out to witness.

“Talking about their conditions, how they were trafficked, and by whom, have helped in reducing the number of people being exposed to trafficking,’’ Celestin said.

Celestin said that managing migration crisis was not only a government’s responsibility but also that of the society.

According to him, with collective efforts governments can adequately address the menace.

Celestin observed that the IOM and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) were now active in Delta state.

He explained that since law enforcement officers were closing in on the traffickers in Edo State it was only normal for them to shift base, hence the increased vigilance in Delta.

“So, Delta state has always been on our radar as a state that we need to look out and where we need to increase our programming.

“Even before this shift we were very much interested in Delta state but we would try and do more there.

“As we see the increase in number of people migrate from there or the criminal elements shifting from there it is absolutely necessary for us to get more into this,’’ he said.

According to Celestin, some challenges in managing the migration crisis include trying to address a lot of complex issues at the same time.

He said that the fact that the criminals were getting smarter was another great challenge adding that whenever a measure was put in place they found a way around it.

He said that to deal with this IOM constantly came up with new innovations on trying to stay 10 steps ahead of them.

He said that in spite of the funding more money was still needed to address the complexity of the issues and build the capacity of its counterparts. (NAN)

– Feb. 5, 2019 @ 17:55 GMT |