Akwa Ibom used to be notorious for child trafficking for slavery and all forms of house-help, but in recent times, the campaign against the scourge has changed the narratives. UKO ETIM reports.
Human trafficking, a modern form of enslavement, which involves illegal trade of persons for exploitation or commercial purpose,
has been a top gain venture for most unruly people across the country, including Akwa Ibom state.
This is more so as reports nailed Nigeria as a transit route for human-related trafficking in the West African sub-region.
According to Global Slavery Index (2018) reports, Nigeria ranks 32nd among 167 countries of the world with high number of trafficked persons.
This may have prompted the government to establish Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act as amended in 2015 which criminalises trafficking and prescribed a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment or one million naira as fine.
What Akpabio’s administration did
Worried about rising incidences of human/child trafficking, child abduction in the state, Akwa Ibom under the leadership of Godswill Akpabio had in July, 2014 declared death penalty on child abductors and traffickers.
Also in May 2008, the state House of Assembly had passed into law the child’s right championed by the former Lady, Mrs Unoma Akpabio which was aimed at arresting the endemic scourge and trafficking, among other things.
The government, in order to contain the heinous crime against humanity, began to preach against the houseboy/house-girl syndrome which was prevalent in the state before then.
The development, with the free and compulsory education policy of government succeeded in reducing the trend in the state. This was shown in the increased enrolment of pupils and students in public schools across the state unlike before.
It is also on record that the state government then in partnership with security agencies, particularly NAPTIP and the police rescued so many children and minors of the state origin trafficked for child labour and prostitution into different parts of the country especially Lagos.
While the victims were re-united with their families, some of the perpetrators were arrested and prosecuted following the determination and commitment of Akpabio’s government to curb the crime in the state.
Despite all these, perpetrators of the crime still appeared adamant as they continuously indulged in the illicit act in spite of the existing law.
NAPTIP to the rescue
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in its annual report of 2019 announced that in the state, the agency secured 10 convictions out of over 50 cases prosecuted across the zone in 2019.
Nduka Nwawwenne, who assumed duty in the zone in the last quarter of 2019, said the Uyo zone comprises Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Port Harcourt.
He said that the 10 convicts of human trafficking were serving jail terms in various Correctional Centres across the country.
The zonal commander said that apart from the 10 convictions secured, 20 cases were currently in court at various stages of hearing while 56 cases were currently under investigation.
“For last year, we had 10 convictions, 10 human traffickers that are serving jail terms in Correctional Centres. The law as it is now, there is less options for fines but you can be given a sentence and a fine at the same time.
“So, the law is very stringent now. For cases investigated, we have 56 cases that are currently under investigation.
“Those that were fully investigated are 20. We made many arrests last year,” Nwawwenne said.
He said that the agency during the period under review, trained 18 victims and equipped 10 with starter pack.
He said that the empowerment training of victims of human trafficking by the agency would be a continuous exercise, stressing that if the victims are not empowered, they risk being re-trafficked.
“It is important to talk about empowering victims because if we don’t empower these victims it’s a problem; they stand the risks of being re-trafficked.
“So, we had training and empowerment for 18 victims of human trafficking out of those that were rescued last year.
“Over 50 victims of human trafficking were rescued. The training was for 18 of them and out of the 18 that were trained, 10 of them were properly empowered with equipment, and constantly we do monitory to avoid the equipment being sold out,” he said.
He said the agency would continue to collaborate with stakeholders and other security agencies to ensure that human trafficking in the country was reduced to the barest minimum, adding that NAPTIP could not do it alone.
The zonal commander added that the agency in the New Year would improve on the sensitisation strategies to assuage human trafficking business in the country.
Just recently, the agency has apprehended two suspects for human trafficking. Nwanwenne said the suspect were Okokon Essien Bassey and Ofonime Essien Bassey.
He narrated that the two suspects had approached one Emmanuel Monday and his wife who is pregnant and a mother of two children to buy the unborn baby for N500,000.
He said officials of the agency, who were informed of the offer, advised the couple to agree to the terms of the suspects.
Accordingly, the victims were said to have requested for N10,000 from the suspects as a form of commitment and a sign of seriousness.
It was gathered that on receipt of the money, the woman and her two children were handed over to the suspects.
The suspects were said to have taken the woman and her children to Port Harcourt on a motorcycle but were trailed by operatives of the agency who arrested them.
However, one of the suspects was said to have escaped but the agency explained that a search is on to find him, adding that the arrested suspects have made useful statements and would be charged to court.
“The Uyo Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has apprehended two suspects for human trafficking in an early hour operation this morning, the two suspects, namely Okokon Essien Bassey, ‘M’, 33 years old and Ofonime Essien Bassey, ‘F’, 40 years old were apprehended.
“The suspects had on several occasion approached one Emmanuel Monday and his wife who is a mother of two kids and presently pregnant and requested for the purchase of the unborn baby for the sum of five hundred thousand naira (N500,000).
“On receiving the intelligence, NAPTIP operatives requested the victims to play along with the suspects.
“In the course of several meetings, the victims demanded the sum of N10,000 from the suspects to show their seriousness in what they were being asked to do. Upon the payment of the N10,000 to the victims the pregnant woman, along with their two kids, were handed over to the suspects,” he said.
