The Ogun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluwasina Ogungbade, has described human trafficking as an “utterly appalling and condemnable” crime against humanity, calling for stronger investigative and prosecutorial efforts to bring perpetrators to justice.
Ogungbade stated this while declaring open a three-day capacity-building workshop organised by the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education Advocacy Project (STEAP), in partnership with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The workshop, held at the Ministry of Justice Conference Room, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, brought together stakeholders from the security, welfare, legal, civil society and media sectors, including officers of the State Task Force on Human Trafficking.
Represented by the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Olusegun Olaotan, the Attorney-General emphasised the importance of thorough investigation in ensuring that victims of trafficking receive justice and that perpetrators are effectively prosecuted.
He described the training as timely and necessary, noting that it would help strengthen the state’s investigation, prosecution and case-handling processes in the fight against human trafficking.
In her remarks, STEAP Project Manager, Mrs. Rhoda Dia-Johnson, said the workshop was designed to address emerging trends in human trafficking as well as operational gaps caused by staff turnover and migration.
“We recognised the need to train new members and provide refresher courses to ensure our task force is equipped to identify, respond to and combat human trafficking effectively,” Dia-Johnson said.
Delivering a lecture on local trafficking trends, the NAPTIP State Coordinator, Mrs. Abosede Jimoh, warned that traffickers were increasingly exploiting social media and other digital platforms to recruit and lure unsuspecting victims.
Also speaking on the subject, NAPTIP Legal Officer, Mr. Femi Kehinde, examined Nigeria’s legal frameworks on human trafficking and reiterated that the practice constitutes a grave violation of human rights requiring firm judicial action.
In their presentations, ICMPD resource person, Mr. Simeon Favour, and STEAP State Coordinator, Mr. Samuel Okoroji, trained participants on case-reporting metrics and the process of updating the National Anti-Trafficking Database.
To further strengthen inter-agency collaboration, the Coordinator of the Ogun State Task Force on Human Trafficking, Oloye Akolawole Shoremi, outlined multi-stakeholder referral pathways for victims and disclosed plans to publish a public directory detailing the roles and responsibilities of local service providers.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Dr. Mary Okeriafo of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Olubunmi Ashimolowo of Gender Development Initiative, and Mr. Taiwo Adebajo commended the organisers for the initiative.
They noted that the practical knowledge and actionable insights gained from the workshop would significantly improve operational responses to human trafficking across Ogun State.
