The National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) has disclosed that it has secured over 599 convictions since its first conviction in 2004. Barrister Nduka Nwawenne, the Benin Zonal Commander of the agency, made this revelation at a consultative workshop in Benin City, organized by the Uromi Justice Development Peace and Caritas Initiative (Uromi JDPCI). The workshop was held to discuss the operationalization of the Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund (VTTF) in Edo State.
Nwawenne also stated that the agency achieved 80 convictions in 2022, the highest number of yearly convictions in the country, and obtained 27 more as at March 31, 2023. However, he urged the need to reinforce victim protection by making the VTTF more operational, which would enable more assistance and protection to victims of human trafficking in Edo State. The provisions of the trust funds should serve as an effective counterpoise in rehabilitating and reintegrating victims of human trafficking, he said.
Very Reverend Father Fidelis Arhedo, Executive Director of Uromi JPDCI, emphasized that the workshop’s goal was to mobilize relevant stakeholders towards the activation of the Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund in Edo State. He also called for the establishment of the Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund Committee, as stipulated under section 67 and 68 of the Edo Traffic in Persons Prohibition law in 2018.
It is noteworthy that NAPTIP’s first conviction was recorded in Edo State in 2004, where the convict was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. The Edo State TaskForce on Human Trafficking also achieved its first convictions in 2021 and is making appreciable progress in bringing other human traffickers to book.
The workshop’s outcome is to ensure that compensation is being paid to victims of human trafficking, and all stakeholders will contribute to the fight against human trafficking