…Vows to fight menace
Acting Inspector General of Police Muhammed Adamu has decried the surge in the menace of trans-border trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, just as he vowed to deploy intelligence and operational assets and draw on my strong network with INTERPOL to support initiatives against these crimes.
Speaking during the opening of a Workshop on Counter Trafficking in Human beings and Migrant Smuggling in Nigeria organised by the INTERPOL in collaboration with the Nigeria Police, Monday in Abuja, Adamu said, “In recent times, Nigeria and indeed the African continent have been experiencing a surge in the menace of trans-border trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.
“These illegal activities do not only pose a threat to the victims as individuals but also to the countries involved at both ends,”
He said that Nigerian government recognises that the consequences of human trafficking and migrants smuggling have critical national security and developmental implications and requires sustained intervention action build on capacity development for security agencies.
The Police boss said the Force working in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have been at the forefront in the fight against the menace.
Adamu said the Nigeria Police under his leadership would continue to support the two agencies while strengthening its institutional capacity towards addressing the threat of human trafficking.
“In furtherance to this, recently, the Nigeria Police raised the bar by upgrading the Anti-Human Trafficking Section of the Force with the appointment of a Commissioner of Police to head the Section.
“In addition to this, the Police have over the years, remained faithful to the inter-agency framework of seconding police officers to NAPTIP to support and enhance their investigative and operational capacities towards attaining their anti-human trafficking mandate,” he said.
He expressed hope that the forum would provide participants with the platform to create good working relationship that would allow for robust professional synergy and exchange of information which would, ultimately, strengthen coordination among all security agencies and other strategic partners in the fight against this scourge in Nigeria.
