NAPTIP: Migrants are caged, eyes, kidneys harvested for medical needs

Juliana Francis

The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Senator Basheer Garba Muhammed, has revealed that a farm had been discovered in Libya where black African migrants were allegedly kept in cages like animals and organs like eyes, kidneys and lungs harvested to service the medical needs of Europe.

He stated this while meeting with the governor of Kano State Governor, Abdulahi Umar Ganduje, in Kano State on Monday.

His words: “The problems of Human Trafficking and Irregular migration have become a national and international concern. A large number of Nigerians are trapped in sexual and labour exploitation in various African and European countries. Additionally, hundreds continue to die in transit along the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea. Last year reports emerged about human farms in some parts of Libya where black African migrants are allegedly kept in cages like animals and organs like eyes, kidneys and lungs are harvested to service the medical needs of Europe.”

Muhammed revealed that Kano State is highly endemic in the statistics of rescue of victims of human trafficking as well as arrest and prosecution of offenders.

Muhammed further said: “You may wish to note that from inception to date, NAPTIP has rescued a total of 16,277 victims of human trafficking, out of which 14,474 are Nigerians and 1,287 are from Kano State.  This makes Kano State the most endemic State to human trafficking in Northern Nigeria and the second in the Country according to the States Vulnerability Index Analysis.   In the same vein, out of the total of 482 convicted persons by the Agency from inception, 110 were from Kano Zonal Command, representing the highest in country.”

Muhammed explained that NAPTIP was also worried about the ugly trend of the trafficking of young Nigerian women to the Middle East, who are mostly from Kano and neighbouring states. According to him, in the last 10 days, NAPTIP had successfully rescued 104 victims.

He mentioned that the Kano Command, in the last two months has successfully rescued another set of 12 Kano Indigenes in Agadez, Niger Republic, who were victims of child labour and had since been successfully rehabilitated and re-united with their families in Kano. 

“The challenges ahead of us are quite enormous. New initiatives must be developed for ensuring adequate resources for the rehabilitation of returnee victims of Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration in order to mitigate both menaces. Bigger and adequately equipped shelters, vocational training facilities, empowerment programmes and scholarships must be put in place for the victims,” Muhammed stated.

Responding, Ganduje promised to support and partner with the Agency. He also lauded Muhammed for his zeal, commitment and innovation which he said had led to the ongoing repositioning of NAPTIP as well as bringing to fore some of the salient vital aspects of its mandates.