A’Ibom: NAPTIP Rescues 1,444 Human Trafficking Victims, Convicts 62

Okon Bassey

No fewer than 1,444 persons have been rescued by the Uyo Zone of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) since last year.

A breakdown of the number showed that  723 of the victims were from Akwa Ibom while 413 from Cross River , 282 from Bayelsa and 16 from Rivers State .

Zonal commander of the agency in the state, Mrs Tina Ugwu, disclosed this    to journalists in Uyo yesterday.

Within the period, Ugwu said the agency investigated over 568 of the 1,035 cases it received, convicted 62 traffickers while 11 were still pending court.

“For the number of cases received, the command received 1,035 cases with 1,035  suspects. It investigated over 568 cases. The command convicted about 52 traffickers in the zone with 11 cases still in court at different levels of prosecution.

“Then, specifically  for my assumption that’s from the beginning of March, the commandant has had about 17 cases . We have about 10 of them under investigation, and three are fully investigated. We have about three cases with our legal elite which they are going to file today,” she said.

The zonal commander, who described the media as strategic partners in the fight against trafficking, decried the high incidences of sale of babies in Akwa Ibom, stressing that efforts have been intensified to apprehend those who perpetuate the crime.

According to her, collaboration with sister agencies presence at the borders produced outstanding results as most of the cases handled by the agency were transferred from them while NAPTIP assisted in giving some of their staff strategic training in their operations.

Ugwu further stated that the agency has over the years developed a close working relationship with community vigilance groups, traditional rulers and the various ministries in charge of women affairs in the state in a bid to sensitize residents on the dangers of trafficking.

She decried the activities of many traditional birth attendants and warned that the agency would not spare any of them found culpable even as she regretted that most couples connive with them in their illegal activities.

“And to make matters worse, some families agree to this procedure and the so called pregnant mothers know they are not pregnant but because of desperation to own a child accept any condition they are given by those homes.

And those homes have always found a way to evade arrest bit we have a Task Force in place to monitor the TBAs with evidences of agreement between them and couples,” she said.

According to the zonal commander, most failed DNA tests have been product of  fake pregnancies because they also produce fake babies that are not from married couples.

Ugwu attributed rise in sale of babies to increase  in broken homes and  single parenthood but advised parents unable  to cater for their children to ask for help or register their children for formal adoption.