Human trafficking: Nigeria strengthen ties with Spanish Foundation against the ugly act

Human trafficking: Nigeria strengthen ties with Spanish Foundation against the ugly act

A Spanish Foundation, the International Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP) has called on stakeholders to collaborate and join hands in the fight against trafficking and smuggling of persons.

Mr Rafael Rios, the Team leader for FIIAPP in Nigeria, reiterated this at a two-day capacity building workshop for partners in Benin on Wednesday.

Supreme Magazine reports that the workshop has the theme “Raising Awareness on TIP and SOM”.

Supreme Magazine also reports that the workshop was a project by the Action against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (A-TIPSOM), and was funded by the European Union (EU) to support the Nigerian government in the fight against human trafficking.

According to Rios, human trafficking is a global issue and there is the need to improve the capacity of those involved in the fight.

He also said that there was need to involve more people in fighting the menace, adding that it was in view of this that the EU funded the capacity building workshop and deployed his Spanish Foundation for the training.

He disclosed that FIIAPP as a Foundation was concerned about policies on human trafficking, prevention of human trafficking, protection of victims, prosecution of human traffickers as well as strengthening partnership with stakeholders.

Earlier, Mr Joseph Sanwo, the Senior Project Officer for A-TIPSOM, said that A-TIPSOM was an EU funded intervention aimed at supporting the Federal Government and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) against human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.

He explained that the A-TIPSOM project was brought to Edo, because it was one of the endemic states as far as human trafficking was concerned.

He added that there was the need to bring the campaign against human trafficking close to base in order to support and strengthen the state and federal government fight against the menace.

In his goodwill message, Mr Nduka Nwanwenne, the Benin Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, described the workshop as apt, as the issue of human trafficking could not be handled by the agency alone.

He said that awareness raising and prevention should be in the front burner of the fight against human trafficking.

He also said that the command which comprise Edo and Delta was most endemic in human trafficking, adding that there was the need to change the narrative.

Similarly, Mr Ekene Enechukwu, the Head of Operations, Benin Airport, described human trafficking as a menace which calls for great action.

He said that the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was a major stakeholder in the fight against human trafficking as airports across the country serve as exit points to both the trafficked and the traffickers.

Supreme Magazine reports that participants were drawn from the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigerian Police, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Civil Society Organisations, NAPTIP and religious organisation.

Source: NAN

Photo Credit: Google