Joyce Onwuka
The fight against Human Trafficking in Nigeria by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) received another major support as the Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd),has promised robust cooperation and synergy with the Agency to further clamp down on traffickers across the Country.
The NDLEA boss gave the promise while receiving the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Agency’s Headquarters in Abuja.
Brigadier Marwa, who described the appointment of the NAPTIP Director General as a strategic step in the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria, lauded her for turning the heat on the traffickers by hiting the ground running, and for her proactive operations and interventions which have resulted in the arrest of several traffickers and rescue of many victims.
While lamenting the plight of human trafficking victims in the Country, the NDLEA Chief Executive described NAPTIP as “ a very important and critical Agency in the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria” that deserves the support of all.
He suggested a mutually agreed upon legal framework that will define the working relationship between the two Agencies in order to enhance seamless joint operation, intelligence sharing, and cooperation.
Earlier in her speech, the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, said the visit “ was part of the NAPTIP’s ongoing strategic engagement with key sister Agencies to strengthen institutional collaboration, share knowledge and harmonize our operations where our mandates intersect.”
“This visit also, more importantly. It represents our desire to deepen the longstanding relationship between our two Agencies. In today’s security landscape, the complexities of crime, particularly organized transnational crime, require that we work in closer synergy.
“Drug trafficking and Human Trafficking are increasingly interconnected both globally and locally. In many instances, victims of human trafficking, especially women and children, are used as drug couriers. Victims are also drugged or subjected to substance abuse as a method of control, coercion, or subjugation by traffickers. Furthermore, both crimes thrive on similar enablers.
“Intelligence reports have shown overlaps in networks operating in both spheres, hence the urgent need for a coordinated response”, the Director General of NAPTIP stated.
The highpoint of the visit was the setting up of a joint operational team that will enhance collaboration among the two Agencies.
In attendance at the meeting were Directors from both Agencies.