The attention of the National Agency
for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has been drawn to
reports quoting His Excellency the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki
accusing the Agency of not cooperating with his government in the fight against
human trafficking especially with the on-going evacuation and reintegration of
returnees from Libya.
The reports also quoted the Governor
as accusing the Agency of not properly guiding the Federal Government on
packages for evacuated victims from Libya, and alluding to the fact that the
batches evacuated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) were
given one hundred Euros each.
It is important to state clearly that
allegations by the Edo State Government are far from the truth as the Agency
which was established pursuant to the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law
Enforcement and Administration Act 2003 has never in any way shown a lack of
cooperation to the Government and good people of Edo state in the fight against
human trafficking.
Edo State and her people are held in
very high esteem by the Agency and it was for that reason that the first and the biggest Zonal Command
of NAPTIP after the Lagos Command was established in Benin City early in 2004.
That Command which handles only Edo and Delta States remains the busiest and most
vibrant command in the Country.
The present evacuation of Nigerians
from Libya is not NAPTIP’s project but that of the Federal Government as
directed by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. Furthermore, the
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is the coordinating Agency for the
exercise. NAPTIP is only a member of the Federal Government’s mission to Libya
and has its personnel who are working with other sister Agencies in Port
Harcourt to assist the returnees on arrival through profiling and psychosocial
assistance especially for victims of human trafficking amongst them.
The business of NAPTIP so far has
been to identify the victims and suspects of human trafficking and take them to
NAPTIPs facilities in Benin, Uyo and Lagos for further assistance. The Agency does
not have access to funds for this project since NEMA is the coordinating Agency
for the project.
On the issue of packages for the
returnees, it is important to note that the One hundred Euro to returnees being
referred to was given directly to returnees whom the International Organisation
for Migration (IOM) brought back from Libya through Lagos. The project is part
of their Voluntary Returns programme and the money was paid directly to the
returnees by the IOM as promised before the returnees embarked on the journey
back home. NAPTIP therefore, has nothing to do with that package.
NAPTIP merely advised that states
should not whisk their citizens away immediately upon arrival from Libya,
without adequate psychosocial counselling and care and adequate shelters with
necessary facilities, as these people have been through immense trauma and need
to be gently reintegrated back into the society after proper counselling. Doing
otherwise will amount to a disaster waiting to happen as some have committed
some crimes in Libya, some have health challenges that should be checked, while
some are very demoralised and in dire need of a morale boost. Therefore they
need proper attention and failure to provide these by the states defeats the
essence of the Federal Government’s timely and capital-intensive intervention.
Edo State Government is advised to
please work harmoniously with NAPTIP. The victims of human trafficking that the
Agency is assisting are first of all sons and daughters of the state and lack
of cooperation between the State Government and NAPTIP, which is the Federal
Government’s focal Agency on human trafficking in Nigeria including Edo state, will not do anyone any good.
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