Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has urged fellow governors to collaborate with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in tackling human trafficking and violence against persons.
This call was made during a visit by NAPTIP’s Director-General, Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello, in Abuja on Tuesday, according to a statement by the agency’s Press Officer, Mr. Vincent Adekoye.
Bago stressed the urgent need for joint efforts between state governments and NAPTIP to address human trafficking, particularly in northern Nigeria.
“The focus on violence against persons and trafficking is very important, especially in northern Nigeria,” he said. “We have lots of out-of-school children, especially girls, and many domestic violence issues arising from that. We also have cases of violence against women as a fallout of insecurity in the region.”
The governor pledged full support for NAPTIP’s operations in Niger State, announcing plans to provide land with a Certificate of Occupancy for the establishment of the state command.
“We shall give you land with a Certificate of Occupancy for the Niger command, and we want this project to start immediately,” he stated. “If you have the personnel ready, we can also get you temporary accommodation so that you can open the command in February.”
Bago further expressed his administration’s willingness to support the agency in establishing a regional command office in the state, saying, “We are very ambitious to have the northern command of this very important agency.”
In her remarks, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Adamu-Bello, emphasized the agency’s commitment to working closely with state authorities, local communities, and stakeholders to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and prosecute offenders.
She highlighted the alarming cases of child trafficking, child labor, and domestic servitude in Niger State, stressing the importance of having a strong agency presence in the region.
“We have received several cases of child trafficking, child labour, and domestic servitude across sub-national levels, including Niger,” she said.
Adamu-Bello commended the governor’s commitment and urged other state governors to emulate his gesture by supporting NAPTIP in the fight against human trafficking.
