Human Trafficking: NAPTIP ‘secures 396 convictions in 16 years’

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said it convicted 396 persons since its inception in 2004.

In a report, NAPTIP said these were convicted for different offences of human trafficking within the 16 years of establishment of the agency.

The report provides information on each of the convicts, number of jurisdiction, date of case filling and commencement of trial up till the date of judgement.

Of the 396 convictions within the period under review, at least 38.9 per cent of the convicts committed offenses relating to the procurement of persons for sexual exploitation, while 22.2 per cent of convictions related to foreign travel which promotes prostitution.

The report noted that prostitution remains the largest category for Nigerian female trafficking victims who travel abroad, child labour takes the lead in local cities, with children engaged in domestic labour, forced begging, quarrying and armed conflict.

Women and girls are also engaged in domestic servitude, with NAPTIP’s 2018 Report noting this category as the second highest in reported cases after foreign travel for prostitution.

According to the report, most reported male victims of trafficking are aged 11 and under, with most female victims (the overwhelming majority of identified victims in Nigeria) being over 18 years of age

Further details of the data said the agency recorded 51 convictions in 2011, which is the highest; 50 in 2018. Last year, it convicted eight persons, the lowest number since 2004 that had one convict.

State level

At state level, Kano had 67 convicts or 16 per cent which is the highest. The data generated showed that nature of the offences are mostly child abuse, child labour cases, sexual abuse and rape cases.

It is unclear if there was a change in data in 2020. But between January and September in a separate report, NAPTIP said it had rescued another 135 victims and arrested at least 86 suspected human traffickers in Kano.

Edo came a distant second with 52 convicts. NAPTIP, in its 2018 Report, confirmed that the largest number of victims rescued outside of Nigeria were rescued from Libya and are indigenes of Edo State.

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, was forced in 2017 to launch the Edo State Task Force Against Human Trafficking, a multitask agency to fight the scourge of human trafficking and unsafe migration in the State.

Behind Kano and Edo is Sokoto, the third with highest convictions, 51. Lagos is fourth with 46 and Akwa Ibom is fifth with 25 convicts.

About nine states had no record of human trafficking offences within the period under review. They include Imo, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Taraba, Zamfara and Abia.