- NAPTIP’s Edo State Command arrested 64 suspected human traffickers and rescued 100 victims in Edo and Delta states in 2023
- The agency is prosecuting over 64 traffickers in courts in Edo and Delta states, while empowering survivors with starter packs
The Edo State Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) reported that it arrested 64 suspected human traffickers and rescued 100 victims in Edo and Delta states in 2023.
The Zonal Commander, Bar. Nduka Nwawene, disclosed this during the presentation of starter packs to three survivors of human trafficking in the zone. He mentioned that the agency also apprehended 64 traffickers during the same period.
“We have rescued over 100 survivors in Edo and Delta states in 2023 and also arrested 64 traffickers within the period,” he said.
Nwawene noted that the agency is prosecuting over 64 traffickers in various courts in Edo and Delta states.
He explained that empowering the survivors is part of the agency’s efforts to reintegrate them into society by equipping them with the tools to start their own businesses and earn a living.
“We have many survivors to be empowered, but we have to empower these three first with the support of NAPTIP’s Director General, Dr. Fatima Wazir-Azi, providing sewing machines so that they can be engaged and able to give evidence in court against their traffickers,” he said.
He emphasized the critical nature of empowering the three survivors, especially since two of them have babies while the other is pregnant.
The survivors were trafficked to Germany, Russia, and Mali, respectively, where their traffickers exploited them for years.
“We believe that when they are engaged in something and earning a living, they are less likely to be vulnerable to trafficking,” he added.
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