The Ekiti State Government, has tasked the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other Related Matters(NAPTIP) on the imperative of tackling the menace of human trafficking to protect the dignity of Ekiti citizens.
The state government urged NAPTIP to spread its dragnets and track down those who were plotting to make Ekiti one of the transit states of the evil work, it described as an abridgement of rights and indignation to victims.
The Ekiti State Commissioner for Youth Development, Hon. Adesola Gold Adedayo, said this at the weekend while playing host to the leadership of NAPTIP who paid a visit to his office in Ado Ekiti.
Addressing the officers of the federal government’s agency, Adedayo said the government of Governor Biodun Oyebanji categorised human trafficking as part of the violence against citizens, which he stated had been prohibited by law of Ekiti State.
Adedayo revealed that many victims of trafficking were being dangerously exposed to exploitation, prostitution, slavery and other nefarious acts that often subject them to all manners of harrowing experiences, deaths and untold sufferings.
The Commissioner added that most pathetic was the fact that those falling victims are majorly children of school age and those from less privileged backgrounds.
Adedayo warned that Governor Oyebanji won’t spare whoever caught in the web of such unwholesome and criminal act in the state, saying they will be made to face the full weight of the law.
The Commissioner said: “Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. It is an infringement of the rights of the Nigerian citizens and Governor Oyebanji doesn’t want such occurrence in the state.
“Most worrisome of this occurrence is the fact that the traffickers operate like syndicates. They have their rings in some of the states. In 2022, the Nigerian Immigration Service raised the alarm over attempt by human traffickers to make Ekiti one of the transit states.
“But Governor Oyebanji won’t allow this to happen. We are very vigilant as a government. The lives of our people are very precious and valuable to us.
“It is very sad that those falling victims are mostly children of school age and Ekiti State Government under Governor Oyebanji is desirous of ensuring that all children of school age are enrolled in school.
“To facilitate the achievement of the foregoing, Governor Oyebanji has declared free education at both primary and secondary cadres of education, so that no children will drop out of school on account of financial incapability that can make him or her fall prey to human traffickers.
“So, NAPTIP has a lot of work to do. Your operatives must be on their toes to make Ekiti free from this criminal and dangerous act”.
In his submission, the NAPTIP Head of operations, Ekiti office, Mr. Samson Ademola Oladimeji, praised the government of Governor Oyebanji for partnering the agency to nab the traffickers and make Ekiti unsafe for their syndicates.
Oladimeji added that the agency was incurably committed to partner other sister agencies, particularly the operatives of the immigration service to bring the incidences of trafficking in persons to the lowest ebb in the state.