Published By Olukayode Idowu, Abuja
United States has donated approximately $6.8 million for projects to combat trafficking in persons in Nigeria.
The U.S Is sponsoring the projects through it’s Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) with the fund made available to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) which will oversee the projects in the country.
A statement on Wednesday by US Embassy in Nigeria said the INL donation will fund UNODC to train the Nigeria Correctional Service in the northeastern states of Borno, Gombe, and Adamawa.
The funds will also support UNODC’s Middle Belt Investigations project by ensuring local police investigators in the states of Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, and Nasarawa have the training and resources to respond more effectively to incidents of criminality, kidnapping, and conflict. The project also aims to improve the capacity of local courts and prosecutors by increasing transparency and adherence to due process for cases related to the activities of Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa.
The statement claimed that the United States values its relationship with Nigeria and, through her partnership with the UNODC, provides support to its work combatting drugs, crime, and corruption, and building the capacity of the Nigerian National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The statement revealed that the INL funds were made possible through appropriations made by Congress to the U.S. Department of State to support efforts in the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking worldwide.