Benin NAPTIP rescues 468 victims in 6 months – Official

Benin zonal command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said it has rescued 468 victims of human trafficking in the last six months.
NAPTIP zonal commander in the zone comprising Edo and Delta, Nduka Nwanwenne, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Benin.
Nwanwenne also said that about suspected human traffickers were arrested within the period.
He said that the command had secured two convictions within the period, while 33 cases were still pending in various courts across the zone.
He attributed the successes to sustained efforts at prevention, prosecution, protection and partnership with various stakeholders.
The commander, however, noted that some of the challenges faced in the fight included unwillingness of some victims to testify in court in pending cases.
He also said that pressure of parents on their wards to go and make money abroad as well as ignorance that life was always better in Europe was another challenge.
“Unfettered access and negative use of social media by victims of human trafficking is also a major challenge to combating human trafficking,” Nwanwenne said.
(NAN)