NAPTIP partners tour operators to fight human trafficking

THE Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, has appealed to the tour operators, travel agents and airline operators to collaborate with the agency in the fight against human tracking.

She drew their attention to the responsibilities as spelt out under Section 35 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administrative (TIPPEA) Act 2015, which regulates the activities of tour operators and travel agents with respect to curbing the crime of human trafficking.

The NAPTIP boss, who was represented by the Director, Legal and Prosecution Department of the agency, Mr Abdulrahim Opotu Shaibu, spoke at the sensitisation workshop organised by NAPTIP in Lagos.

According to her, “tour operators and travel agents cannot afford to passively sit by while human trafficking is promoted through their means of livelihood”, and she enjoined them to recognise signs of trafficking and possible exploitation and how to report such cases to the agency”.

Okah-Donli noted that tour operators and travel agents represent the gateways in and out of the country; therefore they play a unique role in protecting would-be victims of human trafficking and identify traffickers who travel with them.

She therefore encouraged them to partner with government agencies, especially those who are front line responders, such as NAPTIP, as well as non-profit organisations to stop human trafficking and to help survivors rebuild their lives.

In his remarks, the representative of the Murtala Mohammed Airport Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr Nsikak-Abasi Udoh, lauded NAPTIP for their doggedness in the fight against human trafficking.

He praised the tenacity of the Director-General in bringing human trafficking issues to the consciousness of Nigerian with the massive awareness campaigns embarked upon by the agency across the country.