The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTP) Dame Juli Okah-Donli, has warned the general public against the new method of using football recruitment abroad as one of the many tricks by traffickers to traffick innocent citizens outside the country.
She, however, called on the public to be wary of the offer of getting a football club for them or their relations abroad.
The Director General who was represented by the Zonal Commander (NAPTIP) Lagos zonal command – Daniel Atokolo stated this at the 2019 national summit of Football Intermediaries Association of Nigeria, held over the weekend in Lagos.
In a panel discussion on, “Human Trafficking using Football: Avoiding the pitfalls, and Awareness creation,” the zonal commander reiterated the earlier warning by the Director General prior to the Russia 2018 World Cup.
The NAPTIP DG had warned Nigerians of the activities of traffickers who might use the period to traffic innocent Nigerians outside the country.
The zonal commander stated that at the end some people were trafficked due to the glamour and wealth associated with football.
Furthermore, he stated that they were exploited and some would have fallen victims to organ harvesting and other forms of trafficking. He stated that traffickers target footballers in search of football clubs abroad and that Nigeria being a great football nation some youths are easily deceived and trafficked.
Atokolo further enjoined the Football Intermediaries Association of Nigeria to be wary of how they carry out their activities emphasising that many young footballers are deceived during negotiation and exploited at the end by both local and foreign clubs. He spoke on the TIPPEA Act 2015 and further warned that the NAPTIP will not spare anyone caught in the act of human trafficking.