Hands tied up with rope of a missing kidnapped, abused, Violence against children, victim child in pain, human trafficking concept
President of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) Mr Ojo Ajanaku has called on the Federal Government and the International Community to take urgent steps to end human trafficking.
Ajanaku, who is also the Coordinator of Concerned Citizens Actions Nigeria, made the call while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Monday.
He was speaking against the background of Nigerian girls being made victims of trafficking and prostitution in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and other parts of Africa.
Ajanaku said, “Some ladies specialise in coming to Nigeria to import Nigerian girls to Burkina Faso for sex work, whereas telling the victims that they are coming for something else like a business.
“This really poses concern, therefore, the need for President Bola Tinubu and the international community to intervene in the issues about Nigerians being trafficked to Burkina Faso.
“The Nigerian embassy in Burkina Faso has looked into the matter in collaboration with the law enforcement agency in the country and has arrested some of the ring leaders.
“It also recovered 63 our Nigerian girls have been used for sex work by the ring leaders.
“The embassy is contemplating deporting the victims by road back to Nigeria, which is inappropriate.
“This is because many of the trafficked victims and ring leaders may escape before getting to Nigeria.”
He suggested that there should be punitive measures to serve as deterrence for the perpetrators of trafficking in persons for the purpose of luring them into prostitution.
He added a strategic approach would be required for the victims to be properly reabsorbed into society.
He also appealed to the government, the international community, and other stakeholders to invest in cashew production to create employment opportunities for Nigerian girls and prevent idleness.
“We have set up cashew nursery farms in 89 senatorial districts where cashews can be grown. We will be employing 1, 335 Nigerians.
“By extension, if we are able to distribute cashew seedlings to Nigerians to farm, we will be creating additional jobs on the farm, thereby increasing cashew production in Nigeria.
“When we process these cashews, they will create employment majorly for our ladies, because a 15,000-capacity processing factory will employ 800 female staff, in addition to the male staff.
“I also call on the National Agency for Prohibition against Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) to work with us, to discourage Nigerians from doing what is not right,” he added.
Speaking in an interview after the news conference, Patricia Sadoh, a trafficked victim, said she was lured into prostitution by a neighbour, whose identity she did not disclose.
“In order to seek employment, I pleaded with my neighbour who has been in that country since 2020, to assist me. And she agreed.
“She told me I was going to work for one company for N35,000 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and that they would provide my transport fare.
“So It left for Asaba and from there to Oyo, then to that country by road, only to get there and be exposed to prostitution,” Sadoh said.
In line with the move to tackle issues related to the exploitation of migrants, Burkina Faso signed several agreements in the context of the fight against trafficking and cross-border mobility of persons.
This includes a cooperation agreement with Nigeria to prevent and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children.
NAN
