Human trafficking: Group urges Osun govt. to establish taskforce

Tunde Adeleke, Osogbo

The coalition of civil society against human trafficking, Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse, and Labour (NACTAL), has urged the Osun State government to establish a task force to combat human trafficking.

Speaking at a press conference held at the LHDI Office, Osogbo, Osun State capital, the NACTAL state coordinator, Ezekiel Ejalonibu, emphasized that Osun State is the only state in the South West that doesn’t have a task force to this effect.

He urged the government to also allocate the necessary resources to the task force in order to enhance productive delivery.

He said, ” I urge the Attorney General and Commission for Justice, Osun State, to take immediate action by establishing a task force dedicated to combating human trafficking.

“This task force would bring together law enforcement agencies, social services providers, and community organizations to share intelligence, coordinate efforts, and provide vital support to survivors, as it is, in our neighboring states. We need a coordinated and sustained effort to identify and prosecute traffickers, support victims, and prevent future occurrences.

“Similarly, I appeal to the Osun State Government, under the leadership of our amiable and intellectual Governor-Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, to allocate the necessary resources and adequate funding for the establishment of the Task Force on Human Trafficking, a crucial step in our fight against trafficking in persons.”

Earlier, the State Coordinator, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, Chinedu Ajaegbu, led an awareness campaign against human trafficking in Osogbo, Osun State.

According to him, the awareness became a necessity in order to raise consciousness about ways to combat human trafficking both domestically and abroad.

The participants for the awareness rally converged at the Ayetoro area of the state capital and walk through Igbonna, Olonkoro, and Old Garage to Freedom Park.