Poverty, unemployment and lack of awareness have been identified as major factors fuelling human trafficking in Nigeria, the Ogun State Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mrs Abosede Jimoh, has said.
Jimoh stated this at a two-day community engagement and town hall meeting organised by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), in collaboration with NAPTIP and the Gender Development Initiative (GENDI), in Idiroko, Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The meeting was organised in response to the prevalence and emerging trends of human trafficking and gender-based violence along the Ogun State border corridor, with participants calling for renewed collaboration among relevant stakeholders.
The NAPTIP State Commander reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to combating human trafficking, particularly trafficking involving women and other vulnerable groups.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Coordinator of the Ogun State Taskforce on Human Trafficking, Olóyè Akolawole Shoremi, stressed the need for closer collaboration with community leaders and other local actors to identify trafficking risk factors, strengthen prevention measures and establish effective referral pathways for victims.
Shoremi called for sustained public awareness campaigns in schools, religious centres, markets and other community settings, noting that continuous sensitisation was essential to preventing trafficking and gender-based violence.
He said the Ogun State Taskforce on Human Trafficking had intensified efforts to strengthen collaboration between government agencies and communities in tackling trafficking.
He further explained that the adoption of the State’s Compendium of Service Providers would help stakeholders identify appropriate service providers and improve the identification, referral and management of trafficking cases.
Community representatives, including the Balogun of Ikoland, Chief Daniel Edun; Ven. Abayomi Adeotan; and Alhaji Idris Adegoke, commended the Ogun State Government and its development partners for taking the initiative to the border community.
They noted that community-level engagement was essential to strengthening efforts to prevent and respond to human trafficking and related forms of violence.
The meeting ended with stakeholders signing a 25-point communiqué aimed at addressing transborder human trafficking in Idiroko and improving coordination among state and non-state actors.
The event brought together law enforcement agencies, community leaders and traditional institutions to develop stronger local strategies for preventing, identifying, reporting and responding to cases of human trafficking and violence against persons.
