The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Human trafficking

  • US restates commitment to fighting human trafficking

    The United States on Wednesday restated its commitment to fighting all forms of human trafficking globally.

    Mr Gil Kerlikowske, United States Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection, made in a tel-conferencing transcript with journalists across Africa watched in Lagos.

    “President Obama has made this a singularly important issue and has described human trafficking as modern day slavery.

    “And we have detected those instances here in the United States and at our borders also.

    “We have realised the need to address the current problem of human trafficking. Some people only perceive it or see it as sex trafficking.

    “And yet we know there are a number of other violations of the human spirit when it comes to trafficking in persons’’, he said.

    He added that the Department of Homeland Security and Border Protection would soon launch a ‘Blue Campaign’ that would educate people in different countries on what really constituted human trafficking.

    Kerlikowske also expressed his government’s readiness to work closely with African governments in reducing problems of human trafficking and wildlife exploitation.

    “We also know how significant tourism and visits to Africa are, particularly people that want to see these wildlife in their natural habitat.

    “And when they are being hunted down and being poached, it creates a very, very harsh economic climate when it comes to tourism’’, he said

     

  • Activist accuses Delta govt officials of human trafficking

    A child’s rights activist, Ighorhiohwumu Aghogho, has accused some officials of the Delta State Government of violating the state’s Child Right Law and involvement in human trafficking.

    Aghogho, who addressed reporters in Warri, Delta State, gave the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking-in-Persons (NAPTIP) 15 days to compel the State Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development to stop further trafficking in children.

    The proprietor of the Explosive Academy, a school for children without parental care at Abraka in Ethiope East Local Government Area, also accused the ministry of illegal admission of orphans in orphanages and transferring them to adopters without following due process.

    He said efforts to make the affected government officials to correct the anomaly had not yielded any good result.

    Aghogho also said the state adoption register containing the daily list of orphans had been missing.

    According to him, about 27 orphanage homes are unlawfully operating in the state.

    He said: “We are giving the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking-in Persons (NAPTIP) in Abuja 15 days ultimatum. After that, we will apply to court for an order of mandamus to compel NAPTIP to search for and produce the Adoption Children’s Register of Delta State and to stop the Delta State Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development in Asaba from further trafficking of Delta State children…”

    But Women Affairs, Community and Social Development Commissioner Mrs Omatsola Williams said she was boarding a flight outside the state.

    She advised our reporter to contact the Commissioner for Information or her ministry’s Public Relations Officer (PRO).

    Information Commissioner Patrick Ukah asked our reporter to compress the matter in a text message to enable him investigate and react to the allegations.

    He did not get back to our reporters at the time of going to press last night.

    Also, the Director of Child Development in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Mr. Fred Ogheni, dismissed the allegation.

    He argued that the state government adhered to relevant laws on adoption of orphans and other adoption processes.

    The Zonal Commandant at NANTIP’s Benin, Edo State office, Ifechukwude Odita, said the agency was joining the probe of the Delta State Government, to check Aghogho’s allegation.

    He said: “I am not supposed to report to him. The petition was sent to Abuja and was referred to our office. We are doing our best. As I speak with you, our report is ready for submission to my boss.”

  • Group publishes anthology on human trafficking

    Group publishes anthology on human trafficking

    A non-profit, non-denominational and non-partisan organisation, Media Initiative Against Human Trafficking and Women Rights Abuse (MIAHWRA), has published a collection of poetry on human trafficking.

    The publication, entitled: I Am Not to Be Sold, is part of activities marking this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and part of its #EndHumanTrafficking debut project.

    The anthology, which is written by secondary school pupils aged eight to 14, was the product of the organisation’s secondary school outreach programme last year in Lagos. Published by Parrésia Publishers Ltd, MIAHWRA founder, Ms Tobore Ovuorie, the publication is in line with its principles of intervention and philosophy is oriented by a human rights and gender-based perspective.

    According to her, the anthology comes highly recommended with a foreword by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for use in schools, churches, mosques, in combating the sad reality of human trafficking.

    Ms Ovuorie, who edited the anthology, recounted the journey to publishing the anthology: “While educating the pupils about the A-Z of human trafficking, Ms. Ovuorie said, MIAHWRA held poetry and writing competitions with the theme: I Am Not To Be Sold, to bring to fore the inhumanity of the modern day slavery.

    “After giving them prizes, we decided to put together some of the outstanding works which has birthed the first human trafficking anthology. The published secondary school poets, through this collection of short poems, are advocating for the protection of their rights.”

    She said the publication will be a yearly project, noting that entries for the 2017 edition will be open when schools resume next month.

    “The anthology will be published every year, while the literary genres would be rotated with secondary school students being the authors and next year will birth short stories collection. MIAHWRA believes that this book will help to further the fight against human trafficking by reducing illiteracy and ignorance amongst the vulnerable groups,   rural community dwellers across Nigeria and expanding awareness on the ills and dangers of this criminal trade.

    “Considered as a serious crime and utmost violation of human rights, trafficking, every year, sees thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, whether here in Nigeria or in other countries. Trafficking affects almost every country in the world, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims. It has become urgent for us to take action, and everybody must be involved. We must all join in the fight against the trafficking of children and individuals and the abuse of women. That is what MIAHWRA believes in. That is what MIAHWRA is passionate about,” Ms Ovuorie said.

    The collection, which Acting Director General of NAPTIP, Mr Abdulrazak Dangiri, who wrote its foreword dubbed ”an anti-human trafficking anthology”, MIAHWRA said is free for students during school outreaches and available for sale online on www.konga.com. Mr Dangiri wrote in his foreword:  “I Am Not To Be Sold brings out the feelings and perceptions of some young people in our society about the importance of protecting human dignity. These young ones have demonstrated, through this collection of poems, that they are aware of their worth as human beings. The anthology is thus a collective voice of freedom and a call to those who are out to coerce, deceive and exploit their fellow human beings that human life is too precious and must not to be bought or sold.”

  • UK court jails Nigerian 22yrs for human trafficking

    Nigerian woman, Franca Asemota, 38, has been sentenced to 22 years jail term for traficking in persons.

    She was found guilty of attempting to traffic Nigerian girls through Heathrow Airport to work as sex workers in brothels across Europe, a statement by United Kingdom (UK) said.

    Asemota was convicted on Wednesday at Isleworth Crown Court of eight counts of conspiracy to traffic persons for sexual exploitation, two counts of trafficking persons outside of the UK for sexual exploitation and two counts of assisting unlawful immigration.

    She was according to the statement “part of a criminal network that trafficked girls, boys and women from Nigeria to Europe using threats to guarantee their compliance.

    Two other people were convicted in 2013 as part of Operation Hudson. Odosa Usiobaifu, of Enfield, London, and David Osawaru, of Benin City, were sentenced to 14 years and nine years respectively.

    Franca Asemota was identified as a trafficking suspect in 2012 but fled from Italy to Nigeria when some of her co-conspirators were arrested by Immigration Enforcement investigators.

     ”She spent time in Europe before the National Crime Agency (NCA) tracked her down to Nigeria. In an operation co-ordinated by the NCA she was arrested by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission in Benin City in March 2015. Once her identity was confirmed Asemota was then extradited back to the UK in January.

     She was found guilty of conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation and assisting unlawful immigration after a four-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court.

  • NAPTIP rescues 50 victims of human trafficking

    The Kano Zonal Command of National Agency for the prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP) on Sunday said it had rescued no fewer than 50 victims of human trafficking within two months.

    The NAPTIP Zonal Commander, Mr Shehu Umar said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano that the victims were rescued from February to date.

    He said the victims who comprised males and females, had since been reunited with their respective families.

    He disclosed that the command had recorded 23 cases of trafficking, child labour, sexual exploitation and other related cases within the period under review.

    He said out of the cases, 11 female suspects were involved while the remaining suspects were males.

    “The cases have been investigated and one was on sexual abuse, two on child labour, one on abduction and another one on stolen baby.

    “Among the cases, some do not fall within our jurisdiction so were transferred them to police for proper prosecution “, he said.

    Umar said the command had within the period secured two convictions at the Federal High Court, Kano pointing out that the remaining cases were still pending in the court.

    He called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the agency by allocating more funds to enable it carry out its activities effectively.

    “Our activities require a lot of funding if we are to carry out investigation, rescued victims have to be transported to their states and some times we have to take care of them.

    “We also conduct counselling exercise for the rescued victims, identify their needs and even rehabilitate them”, he said.

    He called on the people particularly parents to support the agency in the fight against human trafficking and other related offences. (NAN).

  • Two remanded for human trafficking

    Two men, who attempted to obtain United Kingdom (UK) visas from the British Consulate in Lagos, were Thursday remanded in prison custody on human trafficking charges by a Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Igbosere.

    Sunday Ugberase, 27, and Gbolagade Jimoh, 54, whose addresses were not given, are standing trial before Mrs O. A. Ogunbowale on a two-count charge of conspiracy and human trafficking.

    Prosecuting Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sunday Ekong told the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences on March 14, at the British High Commission in Lagos.

    “The men and others at large approached the British Consulate for a United Kingdom Visa to transfer one Sunday Ugberase and others to the UK with intent to trade in them for their personal gain,” he alleged.

    Ekong said that the alleged offences contravened Sections 274 (10) and 409 of the Criminal Law Lagos State, 2011.

    Both men denied the charges.

    The Magistrate adjourned the case till April 12 for hearing of their bail application.

     

  • Greg Odutayo’s new movie targets human trafficking

    Greg Odutayo’s new movie targets human trafficking

    as one of the earliest movies of 2016, Beyond Blood, a Royal Roots production is scheduled for premiere this Friday, producer of the film, Greg Odutayo hopes the theme of the film; human trafficking will make for better education of the society, just as it is meant to entertain.

    Odutayo who announced that the film will premiere at Silverbird Cinema, Victoria Island, Lagos on January 15, said it chronicles the ills in our society and the world at large. “This include human trafficking, prostitution, drug addiction, AIDS, homosexuality, gangs and a culture that legitimises tyranny and injustice especially of women trapped in the vagrancies of culture and tradition,” he said.

    The ace sit-com producer, who disclosed this at a special sneak preview of the movie for journalists in Lagos, hinted that the story revolves around Moji, a young Oxford educated woman with a passion for social justice and equality. Her privileged background, he noted, contrasts sharply with the desperate conditions of the prostitutes, drug-addicts and their children she cares for at ‘The Mansion’ – a centre she funds privately much to the disapproval of some in her social circle, including her family.

    Starring Kehinde Bankole, Bimbo Manuel, Caroline King, Joseph Benjamin, and Francis Onwochei among other notable actors, Beyond Blood, according to the filmmaker, is produced English, Pidgin, French and Yoruba languages with subtitles.

    Speaking further on the movie, which he said was shot in Lagos and London, Odutayo said “We didn’t just want to make a movie that will raise the bar in the industry, we wanted to make a movie that will give us worldwide recognition. As matter of fact, we started working on this film five years ago. A lot of research and hard work were put into the movie. We also took a lot of time in casting and everybody gave the movie his or her best shot.

    “As a mark of that, Kehinde Bankole and Joseph Benjamin had to learn French language. It is suspense-filled and not a mundane film. It touches issues confronting the human race irrespective of what continent the viewer lives in. For example, human trafficking is not only prevalent in Europe, it is also here with us.”

    Written by Debo Oluwatumininu, the film was screened last year at the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California, USA during the Hollywood Weekly Magazine Film Festival.

    Other cinemas where the film will be screened, according to Odutayo, include Okada Cinema, Benin, Edo State; Viva Cinemas in Ilorin, Kwara State and Ibadan, Oyo State as well as in Genesis Cinema, Abuja, and Ozone Cinema, Yaba, Lagos.

  • Obama appoints Nigerian into human trafficking council

    Obama appoints Nigerian into human trafficking council

    United States President, Barack Obama has named a Nigerian-American journalist and Anti-human Trafficking advocate, Bukola Love Oriola as a member of the US Advisory Council on Human Trafficking.
    In a statement by the office of the Press Secretary, White House on December 16, Obama said he was honoured that Oriola and 10 others appointed to serve on the council have decided to serve the country.
    “They bring their years of experience and expertise to this Administration, and I look forward to working with them,” Obama stated.
    According to White House statement, Oriola, has served as an independent consultant, speaker, and author on human trafficking issues since 2009.
    She founded The Entian Story in 2013, a non-profit organization which advocates for survivors of human trafficking and domestic abuse after her personal experience when she relocated to the US from Nigeria.
    “In 2009, Ms. Oriola published her book Imprisoned: The Travails of a Trafficked Victim and began producing Imprisoned Show. Ms. Oriola has owned and managed Bukola Braiding and Beauty Supply since 2007. She was a reporter and researcher for Century Media Limited in Lagos, Nigeria from 2003 to 2005. Ms. Oriola received an A.S. from The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo.”
    She began her journalism career in Nigeria in 2000 at Common Interest Communications, Publishers of the defunct National Interest Newspapers and later joined the defunct New Age Newspaper.
    In 2005, Oriola won the Cadbury National Award for Education Reporters and is a fellow of the International Institute for Journalism, Germany.
    Responding to her appointment, Oriola who was in Nigeria in September on sensitization campaign against human trafficking, said she was grateful and humbled.
    “Please join in thanking God on my behalf. I regard the appointment as an opportunity to do more than I have been doing in advocating against Human Trafficking in the United States and in other parts of the world.”

  • UN urges action against human trafficking, sexual abuse

    UN urges action against human trafficking, sexual abuse

    The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Thursday called on UN member states to do everything in their power to combat human trafficking, especially for sexual purposes.

    UN Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson in a statement, said that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and Boko Haram were prime perpetrators.

    The Council referred specifically to ISIL’s trafficking in Yazidis and its abuse of international humanitarian law and human rights, as well as such violations by the LRA in Central Africa.

    It also referred to the Nigerian based Islamist Boko Haram group for the purpose of sexual slavery, sexual exploitation and forced labour.

    The Council said that the actions of these terror groups in armed conflict might constitute war crimes.

    It urged member states to implement all relevant resolutions to improve implementation of applicable legal obligations to criminalise, prevent, and combat trafficking in persons.

    It also urged member states to ratify the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

  • UN appeals to Nigerians on human trafficking

    The Outreach and Communication Officer of the United Nation office on Drug and Crime, (UNODC), Nigeria, Mr. Sylvester Tunde Atere has appealed to Nigerians, particularly women and children to avoid being  deceived and trafficked  by individuals or groups to foreign land in search for greener pastures.
    Atere  said gave the advice during an official visit with the Assistant Comptroller and Immediate Past Public Relation Officer , Nigeria Immigration Service, CPP. Chukwuemeka Obua and Interim President, Network of Civil Society Orgainsation Against Trafficking in Person, Child Abuse and Labour, Kolade Olatosimi to The Management of  Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation Newspaper.

    According to him, many  Nigerians are  stranded in Libya, Morocco, Egypt, Eritrea and other countries in Europe because they were deceived that there are greener pastures abroad.
    He noted that there are 22 endemic states where cases of illegal migration and trafficking of persons is  rampant.

    Seven of the states which is the focus of the UNODC project tagged promoting Better Migration in Nigeria  are: Lagos, Niger, Anambra, FCT, Edo, Benue and Cross Rivers.
    He faulted the claim that poverty is the main cause of illegal migration or crime related offences, noting that  “poverty is not a native of any community.”

    ” It is the level of moral degeneration and we must retrace ourselves as nation back to path of goodly values of honesty, mutual respect and brotherliness.”
    He said that perpetrators of illegal immigration and trafficking are not strangers but close relatives who often times take advantage of people’s quest for a better life and the attempt to escape poverty.
    He noted  that there are 14 anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria which are poorly funded and  require urgent attention for the sustainability of the anti-corruption stance under the  new administration.
    He said Nigeria cannot continue to depend on foreign aids and donors to support the anti-corruption campaign because of paucity of funds and timeline of support and grants.
    He charged the federal government to double up its efforts and investment in the fight against graft and other crimes that has painted Nigeria dark among the comity of nations.
    He noted that European Union through the UNODC will support  the various anti-corruption agencies, immigration officers, judiciary workers and other stakeholders in fighting crime in Nigeria.