Sekoni Animbola,Lagos
Determined to curb the menace of human trafficking and irregular migration in the state, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday inaugurated a special State Task Force on Human Trafficking.
Speaking during the inauguration of the task force at the Lagos House, Ikeja, Governor Sanwo-Olu urged all members of the task force to see their appointment as a call to service.
The Governor also charged members of the Lagos State Task Force on Human Trafficking to come up with brilliant ideas, innovations and policies that will assist the State Government in curbing the menace of human trafficking.
He said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated many global inequalities and plunged many economies like ours in Nigeria for instance, into recession, leaving millions of people at greater risk of being trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced marriages and other crimes.
“In view of this, I strongly believe that this initiative of constituting State Task Forces on Human Trafficking could not have come at a better time than now when it is needed more than ever that we put human dignity and human rights at the forefront and governments across all levels need to join hands and make collaborative efforts to put an end to the scourge of human trafficking.
“We the Government and people of Lagos State understand the value of partnership as an inestimable tool in combating the transnational organised crime of human trafficking and as a result, we use this opportunity to assure you of our unwavering support, collaboration and strong partnership in providing all that is needed to ensure we bring an end to the menace of human trafficking in our society.”
Sanwo-Olu, also expressed his worry on the menace of human trafficking, which according to him has become a profitable venture for criminals who exploit people by kidnapping them and selling them into forced prostitution, forced labour, and modern-day slavery.
Slavery has also sadly become a profitable venture for criminals who exploit people by kidnapping them, selling them into forced prostitution, forced labour, and also until very recently into modern-day slavery. Unfortunately, human trafficking has now become that bitter bile that is not felt by the victims alone, but rather affects humanity in general as it encroaches on our rights and dignity as a people.
“For years, local and international media have been awash with horrifying stories of people especially Nigerian women and girls who have been trafficked for sexual and labour exploitation, and also of migrants trapped in Libya in slavery-like conditions or dying as they crossed the Mediterranean Sea.
“These stories, however, sadly reflect the large and increasing problem of human trafficking within and from Nigeria in recent years and also gives a certain credibility to the recent statistics by the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, that there has been a 600 per cent increase in the number of potential sex trafficking victims arriving Europe by sea, with most of them arriving from Nigeria.”
Sanwo-Olu who noted that the situation of human trafficking has become a nightmare, commended National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for their relentless efforts in the fight against human trafficking and irregular migration.
He also appreciated NAPTIP for the ways they have been rendering assistance to human trafficking victims that are being rehabilitated.
“I must applaud you for this brilliant idea of re-constituting State Working Groups on Human Trafficking into State Task Forces that will be equipped with the requisite skills and technical support to provide a platform to articulate and consolidate our Government’s policies and programmes aimed at countering the terrible scourge of human trafficking,” he said
In her address, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, said the problem of human trafficking and irregular migration has become a great national concern, especially with a large number of Nigerians trapped in sexual and labour exploitation in various African and European countries, apart from the hundreds that continue to die in the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.
She said: “The State Task Forces on Human Trafficking have a pivotal role to play in ensuring adequate sensitisation at the grassroots and among vulnerable groups, providing services and support to victims who have been rescued and returned, as well as information sharing and law enforcement. This requires strong political will and budgetary provisions on the part of the State Government, in addition to the commitment of traditional Institutions, religious and community leaders.”
Okah-Donli also commended Governor Sanwo-Olu and member of his cabinet for partnering with NAPTIP to stem the tide of the twin evils of human trafficking and irregular migration in Lagos State and Nigeria.
“Lagos State has in the past supported the operations of the Lagos Zonal Command of NAPTIP and I would like to appeal for stronger collaborations and support to enable the agency to achieve its mandate in Lagos, which unarguably the commercial business capital of Nigeria,” she noted.
Also speaking the Counter-Trafficking Officer of the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, Bertha Kaluocha Ngurulu, said migration is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be managed and therefore promised continued partnership with federal and state government in facilitating humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all.
She disclosed that IOM since 2011 has been providing support to Nigeria’s Government in areas of migration and development as well as facilitating migration, regulating migration and forced migration, assisted voluntary return of both irregular and regular migrants in need of protection.
The state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the State, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, who is Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force on Human Trafficking, assured Sanwo-Olu and NAPTIP that his team would work tirelessly to fight the pandemic and ensure that people feel the impact of the task force in the state.
The inauguration of the State Task Force on Human Trafficking was also attended by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, and Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Titilayo Shitta-Bey, among other government officials.
Among the members of the task force, which is made up of officials from security agencies, government agencies, and civil society and community-based groups are; Chairman, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, representing Lagos State Ministry of Justice; Co-chairman, Mr. Daniel Atokolo , NAPTIP, Mrs. Olufusayo Adejoke Alabi, Ministry of Women and Poverty Alleviation, ACP Oladotun Odubona and CSP Ighodalo Margaret (Police), Mrs. Toyin Odusanya, Citizens Right, Rev. SR. Patricia Ebegbulem (Bakhita Safe House), Mr. Adegboyega Bajulaiye, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, LSNC), Dr. Iyabo Ogundiran, Legal Hub on Anti-Trafficking, John Deborah Chigozie , Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and Mrs. Ogunluyi Titilope, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.