From Ademola Orubon, Abeokuta
The Ogun State Government, in conjunction with National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have vowed to eradicate and fight against the excesses of human trafficking, molestation of child, rape, threats to life and other related offences in the State.
The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, who doubled as Chairman Committee on Child and Human Trafficking in the State, Mr. Akingbolahan Adeniran made this submission during the constitution of Coordinators and Subcommittee of Task Forces to tackle incessant human trafficking and molestation of child, held at his office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Adeniran stated that it was very cogent to sensitize the general public on the side effect of human trafficking, noting that the committee was constituted to fight against child trafficking and of communication channels towards the suppression of crime, being the State closed to border area of the country.
“Indeed, the victims’ protection and eradication of human trafficking is our priority, also the emergency response to strengthen and enhance effective legal means to prevent the root causes of the menace of human trafficking in Persons,” Adeniran said
In her remarks, the Regional Director of NAPTIP, who also doubled as Vice Chairman of the Committee, Mrs. Kehinde Akomolafe, said that the proper collaboration amongst Law Enforcement Agencies remains panacea for effecting crime prevention in the country.
She added that many crimes were related to each other and therefore, needs closer relationship between Law Enforcement Agencies and other key agencies like Ministry of Justice to deal with them.
“In fact, most critical weakness preventing the full compliance to the report of the assessment concerns the legal restriction in NAPTIP prosecutors in respect of trafficking-related offences are not specifically contained in the NAPTIP Act,” Akomolafe said
She noted that offences like, rape, threats to life, aggravated physical and psychological injury, production and presentation of false identity or travel documents, membership of organized criminal structures and money laundering should also be curbed and look into for proper eradication.
She stated further that those offences were in the Panel and Criminal Codes, and could be prosecuted adequately by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), saying that the Agency continued to represent the most comprehensive and integrated model that currently exists in global terms.