National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Makurdi Zonal Command, said on Monday that it has rescued a total number of 810 victims of human trafficking in the last seven years.
The Zonal Commander in charge of Benue zone comprising of Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau States, Mr. Aganran Alao-Ganiyu, disclosed this during a briefing in his Makurdi Office to mark the 2020 World Day Against Human Trafficking.
The NAPTIP boss further stated that the agency has also secured 22 convictions in the zone within the time under review.
Alao-Ganiyu said that the command has also processed and investigated 304 major cases involving rape and human trafficking while 14 of similar cases are still pending in the court due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
He explained that majority of the cases were child abuse, child labour, sexual abuse, rape cases and other cases on Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP Act) from 2017 to August 2020 when he assumed duty in Makurdi.
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“During this period of COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to rescue 49 victims, investigated 24 cases and awaiting arraignment of 11 persons in various courts due to COVID-19.
“The command secured additional two major convictions for five years imprisonment with N5 million in like sum.
“Some high profile personalities are also involved in human and child trafficking business and these people are Nigerians and Benue indigenes who are not based in Nigeria but use their connections in trafficking their victims to various African and European countries including Ivory coast, Libya, Italy among others.
“However, we are already collaborating with the embassies of these countries and Interpol to fish them out and repatriate them,” he said.
He advised parents to be mindful of children and wards who spend so much time on social media saying that the traffickers have devised a means of recruiting their victims through internet platforms.
