Human trafficking: NAPTIP boss seeks more support from Nigerians

Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, has called for more support from Nigerians in order to succeed in exterminating the scourge of human trafficking in the country.

She particularly urged Nigerians to continue to report cases of human trafficking to the Agency or any other relevant security agencies in the country.

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Okah-Donli made the remarks against the backdrop of the recent judgment of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos where a 25-year-old man, Eric David, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment without any option of fine.

While commending the judiciary for the accelerated hearing of the case, she said more arrest and prosecution could be achieved if Nigerians continued  to report cases of human trafficking to NAPTIP.

She noted that the latest conviction came barely one week after another court in Lagos jailed another two traffickers for trafficking some girls abroad for prostitution.

The convict, Mr David, was arrested on the allegation of trafficking a 19-year-old-girl (name withheld) to Mali for sexual exploitation.

The NAPTIP boss explained that report indicated that he had earlier trafficked the victim to Mali for prostitution purposes and returned to Nigeria to recruit more girls.

She said it was in the process that mother luck ran out of him and the victim was able to contact her sister,  Juliet, who pretended to be a friend of the victim and interested in travelling to Mali.

When she contacted Eric David and he agreed to come and  pick her up, the suspect was nabbed.

A four-count  charge was preferred against the suspect while the case was charged before Hon. O. Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi Lagos and subsequently arraigned on the 5th December,  2018.

Due to the overwhelming evidences tendered by the prosecutor, the convict pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to accumulated seven years imprisonment.