Killing the cankerworm called human trafficking
“People become vulnerable, and traffickers take advantage of their vulnerability to recruit...
By Sandra Umeh
When Joy Ushi was promised a good job in Libya by a friend of her family, she jumped into it, expressing confidence that it would tackle poverty in her family.
Little did she know that she was entering into a sort of slavery and almost going into a journey of no return.
She was trafficked by someone she trusted.
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“I was excited because I actually wanted to work to help my mother. The friend told me that others, who travelled earlier, were already successful. I had no reason to doubt her.
“At Libya, I did several odd jobs that I hate to mention. I was subjected to inhuman treatments. I had no choice since I had no means of escaping.
“However, one day, I was fed up. I told myself that enough was enough, and I took a step to return to my country.
‘The rest is a very long story,” she narrated.
According to her, with the help of a UN agency, she returned to Nigeria.
Analysts remark that some victims of human trafficking were not so lucky.
They note that some of the victims died, some maimed, tortured and turned into sex slaves and money machines.
They also observe that female adults, teenagers and even children fall victims of the hydra-headed monster, regretting that poverty, struggle for survival, quest to live abroad and outright greed fuel the crime.
A community leader, Mr Alpheus Amadi, says human traffickers use violence, manipulation, intimidation, false promises and even romance as tools to operate.
Amadi is worried that in spite of efforts of the Federal Government to eradicate human trafficking, the perpetrators have not been deterrent.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), between 2017 and the first quarter of 2024, it facilitated voluntary return of 4,877 victims of trafficking holding Nigerian citizenship.
IOM says 616 of the victims are male and 4,261, women and girls.
Also, the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report states that Nigerian Government identified 1,194 trafficking victims in 2024. These include 654 sex workers and 540 forced labourers.
The National Secretary of the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), Mr Osita Osemene, believes that the government should intensify efforts to tackle the menace.
NACTAL is an association of Nigerian non-governmental organisations engaged in advocacy for children’s rights, anti-human trafficking and human rights.
“Human trafficking started long ago, and it is still the same story today. We have lots of vulnerable people including women and children.
“The reasons for this ill include poverty, lack of education, lack of orientation and lack of information.
“People become vulnerable, and traffickers take advantage of their vulnerability to recruit, transport, and exploit them because trafficking must involve that element of exploitation,” he argues.
Osemene regrets that women and children in some parts of Nigeria are being trafficked to some African countries for begging.
“Someone is using them for this trade, he says.
“Also, recently, we saw some Nigerians who were stranded in Mali. It is clear that somebody took advantage of them and left them in problems. These are dire issues.
“Some vulnerable persons are also used internally for forced labour in quarry sites, for breaking bricks, and in cocoa farms,’’ Osemene claims.
On the way forward, he strongly believes that governments must to more to fight the menace.
“It can also be achieved by collective work.
“Gone are the days when people saw the fight against trafficking as being only for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) alone.
“Now, civil societies are beginning to speak up,” he observes.
A former Publicity Secretary of the Benin Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Douglas Ogbankwa, is convinced that human trafficking persists due to conspiracy of silence.
He is dissatisfied that Benin and some other parts of the country are often perceived by traffickers as catchment areas.
Ogbankwa advises that governments, the family, civil society organisations, and others should collaborate to tackle the menace.
“Human trafficking in Nigeria is a protracted issue in spite of in-depth efforts by NAPTIP.
“The role of the family is very vital in tackling trafficking in persons, as it is the first and smallest unit of socialisation, yet most important.
“It is not possible for a child to be trafficked if that child is from a disciplined home or family,” he argues.
He urges the Federal Government to take drastic measures to clamp down on human traffickers.
“It is important for the Nigerian legal system to hand down heavy penalties on those found guilty of human trafficking so as to deter others.
“Investigating authorities are also advised to engage local communities, as they are vital in providing raw intelligence on matters of trafficking,” he adds.
A journalist, Mrs Comfort Agbu, urges governments to work in collaboration with non-governmental organisations to sensitise local communities to the dangers of human trafficking.
“If awareness programmes are taken down to these communities, it will keep people at alert,” she says.
She advises that governments should sponsor routine television programmes, where survivors are invited to share experiences as a strategy to enlighten members of the public.
Analysts warn that human trafficking remains a significant threat to national and international security and could be a global crisis unless tackled.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
