The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) yesterday said it had secured no fewer than 516 convictions and rescued 18,000 victims since its creation in 2003.

The agency’s Director, Public Enlightenment, Josiah Emerole, gave the statistics at a training for journalists on a standard reporting template organised through the Action against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (A-TIPSOM), funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), held in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

Emerole also said 13 of the rescued victims were sponsored to the university and have graduated, adding that three of them were currently working with the agency.

On the successes recorded by the agency in 20 years, he said: “No fewer than 516 traffickers have been convicted, 18,000 victims have been rescued and rehabilitated while 13 victims have been sponsored to the university. Three of the rescued victims now work with our agency.”

Speaking on behalf of the Director-General, Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi, Emerole said over 20,000 young Nigerian women were trapped in Mali and living in shanties in mining areas where they were being exploited.

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He decried the rising cases of forced labour in Nigeria and sought close ties with journalists to tame the crime.

According to him, Nigeria continues to experience high and external migration due to its huge population, economic climate, poverty and porous borders.

“In Mali alone, no fewer than 20,000 young Nigerian men and women are trapped, living in shanties in the mining areas where they are sexually exploited.

“Many victims are still stranded in a number of West African countries as they cannot move further to Europe and are living in dangerous conditions.

“Most of these trafficked people engage in prostitution for a fee equivalent to N150 which would be collected by those who trafficked them there,” he said.

Press Officer, NAPTIP, Mr Adekoye Vincent, called for an increased working relationship with the media for enhanced prominence on issues of human trafficking to ensure that Nigerians are better informed.