Human Trafficking: US Scores Nigeria, NAPTIP

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The United States of America has commended efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria in combating human trafficking. The commendation saw Nigeria being upgraded to tier 2 watch lists in the 2019 US trafficking in person report.

Making the declaration, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, is an annual global assessment of the level of compliance of countries to the minimum standards in the eradication of trafficking in persons around the world, noted that Nigeria through the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has complied with the US directive.

Speaking on the commendation, NAPTIP Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Stella Nezan, premised the successes on the Director General's expanded awareness and stakeholders’ advocacy throughout the country.

According to the statement, the US government stated that Nigeria has demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period necessitating the upgrading of the nation to tier 2.

The report further states that “these efforts included supporting the implementation of a 2017 action plan between Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a government-supported non-governmental armed group, and an international organization to end its recruitment and use of child soldiers.

“The government convicted significantly more traffickers than the previous reporting period and initiated prosecution against seven government officials allegedly complicit in trafficking.”

Reacting to the development, Director General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah –Donli, disclosed that she received the report with mixed feeling because she had expected Nigeria to be upgraded to tier 1.

“Even though many people including partners of the agency have been calling to congratulate me on the upgrading of Nigeria to tier 2, I received the report with mixed feeling because I had expected Nigeria to top the tier 1 list,” she stated.

Dame Okah-Donli thanked the President Muhammadu Buhari and the former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for their support to the agency within the period under review.