NAPTIP will engage town criers to facilitate fight against human trafficking

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has announced it will engage local town criers to help in spreading its message against human trafficking.

Speaking on Friday, August 13, at the agency's headquarters in Abuja while hosting a delegation from the International Organisation for Migration led by its Country Chief of Mission, Franz Celestin, NAPTIP’s Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Stella Nezan, made the revelation in a statement titled, ‘NAPTIP, IOM set to improve collaboration to tackle human trafficking and irregular migration.’

According to the statement, the agency’s Director-General, Basheer Muhammed said NAPTIP's mandates touch various families in the country.

Muhammed said NAPTIP remained one of the agencies with the biggest mandates that touch various families in the country.

The NAPTIP boss said it was therefore necessary for it to unbundle and expand its scope of activities to render mega rehabilitation services that will meet the needs and expectations of the victims and scale up its awareness and sensitisation strategies.

Muhammed added that one of his strategic goals and visions for the agency is to expand its scope in the areas of improved and remodelled Victim Rehabilitation Scheme, reloaded awareness and sensitization of all parts of the country taking into consideration the listening culture of different section of the country, Punch reports.

“I want NAPTIP’s anti-human trafficking messages to be in the minds at the doorsteps of all Nigerians irrespective of their languages and locations”, the statement read. “We shall use radio, television, newspapers, social media platforms, Nollywood actors and even local town criers.

“Nigerians need to know more about NAPTIP, the various offences and punishment attached to them as well as the various legislations put in place to protect our citizens from all forms of exploitation.

“Our anti-human trafficking messages must be syndicated to all languages so that everybody can understand it. This will go a long way to reduce the vulnerability of the people.”

Muhammed noted that it is better and more economical to take steps now and sensitize Nigerians rather than to engage in damage control after traffickers must have deceived and trafficked innocent citizens.

He thanked the IOM for its timely and sustained intervention in all thematic areas of the Agency which he said have aided the realisation of the mandates of the Agency and solicits for more supports and collaboration.