Minister calls for thorough background check on travelling agencies

By Agency Reporter

The Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola has called for thorough background check on travelling agencies to curtail the menace of trafficking and smuggling in Nigeria.

The minister made this call during a joint stakeholders dialogue on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Aregbesola who was represented by the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration (NIS), Mr Muhammad Babandede, said that some of the travelling agencies were recently engaging on trafficking and smuggling children and women in particular.

The Minister also said that any travelling agency found wanting of this crime should be blacklisted to serve as a deterrent to others.

On his part, Babandede pushed for more robust collaboration between NIS and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to wage more war on trafficking issues.

According to him, trafficking issue is an issue that is very dear to him because it is an organised crime, and that collaboration of many stakeholders is needed to tackle the menace.

“NAPTIP and NIS must wake up to the responsibility of tackling the menace, we need to go back to the first tier rating of combating this crime, we must come up with commitment towards eliminating this transborder crime.

“We must continue to be part of this struggle to fight this crime and protect our women and children, every officers in NAPTIP and immigration must be committed to this course.

“The fight against trafficking will be won if we all show our commitment,” Babandede said.

Also, the Director General of NAPTIP, Mrs Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim who acknowledged the partnership of all to see to the end of trafficking, reiterated the commitment of the agency and other stakeholders to end the scourge.

She said that the agency would use societal approach in waging war against trafficking crime, and would continue to build on intelligent sharing.

“Having immigration supporting us gives us a lot of boost and we will continue to count on that support, on our part as an agency, we have the political will to take the fight high.

“To fight trafficking, it requires grassroot approach, we have made a lot of investment, but with our believe, we will soon get the devidence,” she said.

United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), Country Representative, Mr Oliver Stopes, on his part, noted that trafficking crime was predominantly carried out by young people.

He said that there was need to reach out to people at the grassroot level to be aware of the tactics used by traffickers in getting their victims.

According to Stopes, there is need to improve capacity of organisations that are fighting trafficking and strengthen their effort to know the various forms of trafficking.

Stopes therefore welcome the idea of creating an integrated system between NAPTIP and immigration to confront the menace together. (NAN)