The Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP),  Julie Okah-Donli, has lauded the collaborative efforts of officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service in rescuing victims of trafficking.

Okah-Donli gave the commendation while reacting to the recent conviction of 29 years old Sekinat Owolabi by a Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun, for human trafficking.

The NAPTIP director-general commended the immigration officers for rescuing the 19-year-old victim and handed her over to the agency, a step which led to the arrest of the convict.

“This kind of collaboration among law enforcement agencies is what is needed in combating human trafficking in Nigeria. Our prosecutors will do their utmost best to successfully prosecute human traffickers and cases handed over to us,” she said.

Similarly, Okah-Donli had recently raised an alarm that no fewer than 20,000 Nigerian girls trafficked to Mali, were under sexually exploitative conditions.

She then called on concerned arms of government and the international community to help in working out modalities toward the successful rescue and effective rehabilitation of the girls.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Owolabi was sentenced to four years imprisonment without option of fine.

According to a statement by Nneka Aniagoh of NAPTIP’s Press and Public Relations Unit, the convict was tried and convicted by the Federal High Court, Osogbo.

Aniagoh said the convict was arrested for organising the foreign travel of the victim (names withheld) to Mali for exploitative prostitution.

“This contravenes Sections 15 (a), 16 and 19 (b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003 (as amended in 2005).

“The victim, who was rescued by the Nigeria Immigration Services and handed over to NAPTIP, aided the agency in the subsequent arrest of the convict,” she said. (NAN)