The Zonal Coordinator of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Person (NAPTIP), Nduka Nwanwenne, said the agency has secured 500 convictions of human traffickers since its establishment by the Federal Government.
Nwanwenne said the agency began with one conviction in 2004 and has secured over 500 convictions till date. He revealed this during a courtesy call on the Chairman of the State Gender Response Initiative (GRIT) Team, Dise Ogbise. in Yenagoa, the state capital.
He said traffic in persons was not an isolated problem to Bayelsa State or Nigeria, but a global problem. He suggested collaborations with different stakeholders, including GRIT, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, in the fight against human trafficking.
Nwanwenne was accompanied on the visit by the Bayelsa State Commander, Mrs. Abieyuwa Ehidenro, said building collaboration was enshrined in the law that established the agency.
He said Nigeria in 2003 signed to the transnational organised crime protocol, adding that: “NAPTIP is the Federal Government’s response to addressing the scourge of trafficking in persons.
“NAPTIP is both an enforcement and welfare agency that enforces the law and also supports victims to be reintegrated back into the society through capacity- building.”
He highlighted the agency’s thematic areas as prevention, protection, prosecution and participation. He applauded GRIT for what for promoting the rights of vulnerable groups and helping survivors get justice.
Ogbise said GRIT was put together by the governor’s wife, Dr. (Mrs.) Gloria Diri and was inaugurated in September 2021 by Governor Douye Diri.
She decried women’s involvement in trafficking in persons and assured GRIT would collaborate with NAPTIP to advocate for establishment of a safe home in the state, which would strengthen enforcement and ensure justice is served.
