EBENEZER ADUROKIYA, Warri
As part of efforts to bolster the fight against human trafficking, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has inaugurated five additional Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Violence Against Persons Vanguard Clubs in public schools across Delta State, bringing the total number to 15.
The beneficiary institutions are schools implementing the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), which is funded by the Government of the Netherlands.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held at Owa Alero Secondary School, Owa Alero, the Zonal Commander of NAPTIP’s Benin Zonal Command, which oversees Edo and Delta States, Mr Sam Offiah, explained that the clubs were established to actively involve students in the campaign against human trafficking within school communities, particularly given the vulnerability of young people to traffickers.
Mr Offiah urged members of the newly formed vanguard clubs to help sensitize their peers, parents, and wider communities about the dangers of human trafficking and to firmly reject any attempts by traffickers to lure them.
He outlined the grim realities faced by victims of trafficking, including exposure to forced labour, sexual exploitation, unwanted pregnancy, the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, organ harvesting, drowning at sea, and even sudden death.
The Zonal Commander also educated the students on the tactics commonly employed by traffickers to entice unsuspecting young adults, which he listed as deception, false promises, and fraud.
He noted that ignorance, illiteracy, greed, poverty, insecurity, and instability have been identified as key push factors that make individuals vulnerable to kidnapping and trafficking.
Mr Offiah revealed that NAPTIP has arrested thousands of traffickers, with many successfully prosecuted and imprisoned.
He urged the students to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to traffickers’ schemes.
He elaborated further: “NAPTIP is implementing the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP) with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, in collaboration with the Delta State Ministry of Education.
For us at NAPTIP, it is to ensure that the incidences of human trafficking are eliminated in our society, especially among school children, because they do fall prey to the antics of traffickers.
“Coming to the schools means getting to the grassroots so that students are well informed about the issues of human trafficking.
When the red flags are seen, they should report to the authorities, their counsellors, and their teachers.
When NAPTIP receives such information, we rescue victims and apprehend and prosecute traffickers.”
Several members of the newly inaugurated NAPTIP Vanguard Club expressed their readiness to join the fight against human trafficking within their school communities.
At the Special Education Centre in Agbor, Mr Offiah reiterated the agency’s deep commitment to protecting pupils and students from trafficking, hence the decision to inaugurate an Anti-Trafficking Vanguard Club at the institution.
He encouraged the students to serve as exemplary advocates who would always stand against trafficking by reporting any suspicious attempts to their teachers and parents.
The Principal of the Special Education Centre, Agbor, Mrs Ezehi Francisca Chukwudi, expressed profound gratitude to NAPTIP and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development for establishing the anti-trafficking vanguard club in her school.
Meanwhile, at Ute-Ukpu Grammar School in Ute-Ukpu, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, the inauguration of the NAPTIP Vanguard Club was met with a firm commitment from critical stakeholders within the school to ensure the club’s objectives were achieved.
During the event, Mr Offiah sensitised club members and the wider school community on the five strategic pillars employed by NAPTIP to combat human trafficking: Protection, Prevention, Prosecution, Partnership, and Policy. He also explained that trafficking comprises three stages: the act, the means, and the purpose.
In her address, the Delta State Project Officer for the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), Ijeoma David-Ukoko, called on members of the vanguard clubs to disseminate the knowledge they had acquired and remain dedicated to the success of the initiative.
Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of the Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, the Delta Taskforce Against Trafficking and Irregular Migration, and other partner organisations.
The inauguration ceremonies featured the presentation of textbooks and notebooks on human trafficking and red flags to members of the anti-trafficking vanguard clubs, alongside cultural performances by the students.
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