Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba has donated a furnished office complex to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to enhance its operations in the state.
Ishaku said during the inauguration of NAPTIP’s Taskforce on Human Trafficking in the state on Friday in Jalingo, that the state government also approved a 14-seater bus and a Hilux vehicle to the agency.
The governor advised parents and guidance to be wary of criminals who disguised in the name of giving assistance to wards from poor and vulnerable families.
Dr Fatima Waziri, Director General of NAPTIP told the governor that the agency rescued 111 victims of human trafficking in the last 10 months in the state.
Waziri said that the agency would not relent on its mandate to rid the nation of the menace.
The director general noted that 60 per cent of the trafficking were done internally while 30 per cent was transnational.
She said that the inauguration of the state’s taskforce was due to the call by the National Economic Council (NEC) that all state governors should join in the fight against the crime.
She said that NEC also urged state governments to tackle child labour and modern day slavery in their domain.
She announced that, with Taraba, 21 states in the federation had so far inaugurated the taskforce in their domain.
She commended Taraba government for referring various cases of human trafficking to the agency, which had led to the success of the agency in the state.
Waziri had earlier appealed to the state government for an office complex to the agency to enable it upgrade its liason office to a command.
She also requested for vehicles for the enhancement of the office operations as well as provide a place for the rehabilitation of victims of the crime.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the taskforce members were drawn from all security agencies in the state, representatives from youths and women groups, religious and traditional leaders, the media, among others.
Mr Sam Adda, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, who is to co-chair the committee alongside NAPTIP officer in the state, thanked the state government and NAPTIP for finding them worthy to be members of the committee.
He gave an assurance that he would work within the confines of the law to ensure that the menace was eradicated in the state. (NAN)
