The Northwest Zonal Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP), Barrister Abdullahi Babale says about 1,000 people have been rescued from January 2021 till date.
Barrister Abdullahi Babale made the disclosure while declaring open a two-day sensitization and advocacy programme on child molestation and trafficking organized by NAPTIP in collaboration with member representing Dawakin Kudu/Warawa federal constituency, Alhaji Mustapha Bala Dawaki.
According to the Zonal Commander, the Northwest Zonal office of the Agency which comprises of Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa and Bauchi were working tirelessly to curtail internal and external trafficking in persons.
Barrister Babale reiterated NAPTIP’S readiness to partner with relevant stakeholders in bringing an end to the menace and charged participants to make judicious use of the knowledge gained.
He described the sensitization as apt due to the high number of human trafficking cases recieved by the Agency in the last few months.
Presenting a paper titled ‘Overview of Human Trafficking in Kano state’ Head of Public Enlightenment NAPTIP Kano zonal command, Malam Aliyu Abba, attributed poverty and illiteracy as some of the major catalysts to child trafficking.
He pointed out that the Agency had secured 21 convictions on diffrent cases related to child molestation and trafficking.
Earlier, Member Representing Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency, Alhaji Mustapha Bala Dawaki, said 2,500 people were sensitized in the effects of child labour last year.
The Member who was represented by Alhaji Tasi’u Yusuf, cautioned parents and guardians against giving out under age children to unknown persons or engaging them in street hawking, and begging among others.
Some of the participants who spoke to Radio Nigeria, Yarima Alhassan from Warawa and and Zainab Adamu Hassan from Dawakin Kudu local government area expressed their satisfaction with the conduct of the sensitization and promised to educate others who were not part of the training.
100 participants drawn from Dawakin Kudu and Warawa local government areas were rigorously enlightened on the dangers of child molestation and trafficking as well as ways of reporting suspected persons to relevant authorities.
KHADIJAH ALIYU