The State Task Force on Human Trafficking was launched today by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State. He noted that the incidence of human trafficking and other types of exploitation in the nation is frightening.
He explained that a number of people experience the anguish of this humiliating and disgusting crime at any one time. According to him, groups who are most susceptible to human trafficking and the associated physical, psychological, and economic violence include children, women, young girls, migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people.
Governor AbdulRazaq stressed the need to stop the problem before it gets out of hand while being represented by his deputy, Mr. Kayode Alabi. He also said that human trafficking is a problem of economic and social development.
However, because it happens everywhere, this crime is not just a sign of a frail or underdeveloped state or nation. No government can effectively address this global concern on its own due to the complexity of human trafficking and its interconnections with other global problems, he said.
As a result, he continued, “This global threat necessitates a coordinated and significant response at all levels: local, regional, and international.” We must collaborate closely with enforcement agencies to increase the arrest, prosecution, and incarceration of traffickers because there are so few victims identified when it counts.
Therefore, the Governor urged all interested parties to develop public awareness initiatives that may inform people about human trafficking and its cruelty.
In order to direct their enthusiasm and determination into the effort to end this atrocity, he also asked for the youth’s active participation.
He reaffirmed the state government’s dedication to a fruitful partnership with the state task force in the effort to end the national threat of human trafficking.
Dr. Fatimah Waziri Azi, the director general of NAPTIP, stated in her speech that NAPTIP is also an implementation agency for the violence against persons prohibition act of 2015 in the FCT, which Kwara state has signed into law since 2020. She was represented by director research and program development Olubiyi Olusayo.
She said that in addition to sharing information and facilitating access to justice, the state task force on human trafficking is charged with the duty of ensuring proper sensitization among vulnerable populations and at the grassroots level.
Everyone is vulnerable to human trafficking, either directly or indirectly, according to Amira Tassadit, the IOM’s Counter Trafficking Officer, who was speaking on behalf of the Chief of Mission. She praised Kwara state for being one of the key players in the battle against trafficking and urged everyone to pitch in.
Modupe Joel
Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor