While reacting to the recent charges of human trafficking being slammed on the former Senate President of Nigeria, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has announced that internal trafficking was on the rise in Nigeria.
The agency had also made note of the fact that the rate was way higher than external trafficking.
Fatima Waziri-Azi who is the Director-General of NAPTIP had made this announcement on Thursday in Benin at a meeting with stakeholders and partners in Edo.
Mrs Fatima had reiterated that 83 per cent of trafficking happened within states and communities, while 12 per cent accounts for trans-border trafficking.
“Simply because the media spotlight on people in Italy and all that, we think we have more of trans-border trafficking.
“No. Internal trafficking is happening before our eyes. Domestic servitude is a crisis in Nigeria, forced labour too”, NAN quoted her saying.
The official declared human trafficking a national crisis that affects every state.
Waziri-Azi added that it is now done online via fake jobs advertorials and fake scholarships. She said traffickers lure their victims with offers, with Dubai, India, and Cyprus as the trending destinations.
The DG described trafficking as a $150billion criminal enterprise and the second trans-national organised crime after drug trafficking.
It was recently reported that the Specialist Crime Team of the Metropolitan Police in London has arrested a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice.
They were arrested for alleged conspiracy to harvest the organs of a child, who is currently in protective custody.
If convicted, the couple may get a maximum of life sentence or 12 months imprisonment or a fine or both on summary conviction under the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The Act read, “A person guilty of an offence under Section 1 or 2 is liable (a)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life; (b)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine or both.”
A statement by the Metropolitan Police said, “A woman and a man were charged today (Thursday) with conspiring to arrange the travel of a child into the UK to harvest organs.
“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime team.
“[A] Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55 (10.9.66) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“[B] Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (12.05.62) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.”
The investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022, the force said.
