Delta prosecutes over 15 human trafficking cases

Mr Stephen Selowo (4th left), representing the Benin Zonal Commander of NAPTIP; Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Tejiri Anuhwin (5th left); Divisional Crime Officer, Agbor Police Division, DSP Queen Ojougboh (6th left); and members of the Delta State Task Force on Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration at the sensitisation programme in Agbor, Delta State. Photo: Efecha Gold

The Delta State Government says it is prosecuting more than 15 human trafficking cases at the state High Court as part of efforts to curb the exploitation of residents through illegal migration and fraudulent overseas employment offers.

The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ekemejero Ohwovoriole, disclosed this during a sensitisation programme on human trafficking, smuggling and irregular migration in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area, on Thursday.

Ohwovoriole, who chairs the Delta State Task Force Against Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration, said the Department of Public Prosecutions was handling the cases under the Delta State Human Trafficking (Prohibition) Law, 2024.

He said the law, signed by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, was introduced to strengthen the state’s response to human trafficking and ensure that perpetrators were prosecuted.

The Attorney-General added that the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons was also pursuing trafficking-related cases before the Federal High Courts in the state.

“The state government remains committed to ensuring that anyone involved in human trafficking and related offences faces the full weight of the law,” he said.

Ohwovoriole warned that traffickers were exploiting social media platforms, fraudulent job advertisements and promises of well-paid employment abroad to lure unsuspecting people.

He said security agencies, the judiciary and other relevant institutions were collaborating to dismantle trafficking networks, prosecute offenders and rescue victims.

However, he stressed that government interventions would not be sufficient without the support of residents and community leaders.

He urged members of the public to exercise caution when considering overseas employment offers and report suspected trafficking activities to the relevant authorities.

Speaking through the Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Stephen Selowo, the agency’s representative, Sam Offiah, described human trafficking as an expanding global crime that required coordinated action.

Offiah warned that educated young people and other Nigerians seeking better opportunities abroad were increasingly vulnerable to trafficking networks disguising their activities as legitimate recruitment agencies.

“Human trafficking is not only a moral crime but a growing global business that feeds on desperation.

“The slang ‘Japa’ may sound harmless, but when aspiration turns into desperation, people become vulnerable, and that vulnerability is what traffickers exploit,” he said.

He praised the Delta State Government for organising the awareness programme and urged other states to introduce similar initiatives to discourage human trafficking and unsafe migration.

In a lecture at the event, the Secretary of the state task force, Ijeoma Nwanze, described human trafficking as modern-day slavery and called for a collective response to the crime.

Nwanze said the increasing desire among Nigerians to pursue better opportunities abroad had made many vulnerable to fraudulent migration agents and trafficking syndicates.

She explained that human trafficking could be established through evidence of movement, exploitation, deception, coercion and the exchange of payments or benefits to gain control over victims.

She urged participants to share the information with their communities and educate residents about the dangers of irregular migration and deceptive overseas job offers.

“Together, we can build a Delta where no dream is trafficked, and no ambition is enslaved,” she said.

Delta State has maintained an institutional response to human trafficking through its task force and Ministry of Justice.

The state inaugurated its Task Force Against Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration in March 2019, while the ministry established an Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in October 2021 to coordinate awareness campaigns, investigations, prosecution, victim support and collaboration among relevant agencies.

The 2024 law further provides a legal framework for preventing trafficking, protecting victims and prosecuting offenders.

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