Trafficking
By EricJames Ochigbo
Abuja, July 9, 2026 (NAN) Stakeholders in the humanitarian sector have called for inter-agency and regional collaboration against human trafficking in Africa.
The stakeholders made the call at a roundtable organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Humanitarian Services in Abuja on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the roundtable was with the theme: “Strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Coordination for Sustainable Reparation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Vulnerable Migrants.”
In her remarks, Chairman of the committee, Rep. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe (APC-Oyo), said across West Africa and beyond, thousands of Nigerians, particularly women, children and young people, had continued to fall prey to human trafficking.
According to her, they face forced labour, sexual exploitation and other forms of modern slavery, while enduring unimaginable suffering, deprivation and abuse before finding themselves stranded in foreign countries.
“These realities remind us that trafficking is not merely a migration issue; it is a grave violation of human rights and an assault on human dignity that demands a coordinated national response,” she said.
Citing the evacuation of vulnerable Nigerians from South Africa and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and Ethiopia, Sadipe said with governments’ collaboration across institutions and international boundaries, meaningful progress could be achieved.
“True measure of our success lies not simply in repatriation, but in prevention and in the quality and sustainability of the support provided after survivors return,” she said.
The lawmaker said that without a comprehensive rehabilitation and meaningful reintegration, many survivors remained vulnerable to poverty, social exclusion and re-trafficking.
“International best practice clearly demonstrates that sustainable reintegration requires a comprehensive, survivor-centred and rights-based approach.
“Repatriation must be safe, voluntary and dignified. Rehabilitation should encompass physical and mental healthcare, psychosocial support, legal assistance, education and vocational empowerment.
“Reintegration must create sustainable economic opportunities, facilitate family reunification, where appropriate, promote community acceptance,” she said.
On her part, the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said that rescue, protection, rehabilitation and reintegration could only work when there was collaboration among ECOWAS countries.
She said that West African countries, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) security agencies and civil society must get involved.
“We must stop them before they are trafficked; we must enforce ECOWAS free movement protocol with borders screening to detect trafficking.
“We must have joint task force between Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso; we must have a reference point in all the countries to report detection of early warning and rapid action,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa called for continuous sensitisation, fast-tracking prosecution of traffickers and proper funding of relevant agencies to combat the menace.
Also the speaking, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Mrs Binta Bello, said that implementation of comprehensive, multi-layered solutions was essential to combating the complex nature of human trafficking in Nigeria.
Bello recommended an amendment of the existing legislation to address current trends and other emerging issues.
She also called for a dedicated and enhanced budgetary provision to provide for repatriation, rehabilitation, reintegration and empowerment programmes for victims.
The director-general said that NAPTIP should be included as one of the beneficiaries of security funds, as human trafficking issues had turned out to be a serious security threat to the nation.
“Special intervention funds should be created to support repatriation, vocational training, education, entrepreneurship and livelihood programmes for rescued victims.
“Bilateral and multilateral agreements with Mali, Niger Republic, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and other affected countries should be strengthened to facilitate safe and dignified repatriation of victims.
“Grassroots education and prevention programmes should also be resourced to build awareness and resilience among youths before exploitation occurs, while ensuring better intelligence sharing, border monitoring and rigorous prosecution of traffickers.
Mr Adefioye Gbolagade, the Operation Consultant for the National Council of Child Rights Advocates of Nigeria (NACCRAN), said the organisation should be authorised to regulate the sex work industry among Nigerians in Mali and other West African countries to comply with international laws.
He urged the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to direct the embassies to introduce NACCRAN to appropriate authorities in the West African countries to facilitate execution of the project.(NAN)