The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi has decried the high rate of human trafficking in Nigeria, especially in the Southeast region of the country.

Prof. Waziri-Azi shared this information on Monday during the opening of a one-day workshop in Enugu.

The workshop was organized by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in partnership with NAPTIP. Representing Waziri-Azi at the event was Mr. Josiah Emerole, Director of Research and Programme Development at NAPTIP.

The workshop aimed to validate the report of a baseline survey conducted for an advocacy project by NAPTIP and ICMPD. The ICMPD is an intergovernmental organization based in Vienna, Austria, with 20 member states.

The project was conducted in the states of Enugu, Edo, Delta, Benue, and Ogun. Enugu was chosen as one of the pilot states due to its high rate of human trafficking incidents.

“Human trafficking is the second major crime in the world, but Nigerians see it as a minor crime,” said Waziri-Azi. She emphasized the need for a collective effort to combat this issue, as anyone can be trafficked, whether young or adult, in the pursuit of money.

“It is time to say no to sexual exploitation, use of children to make money, and organ harvesting because those children are our future hope,” she stated.

Waziri-Azi urged stakeholders to pool resources and work together to fight this menace. She also encouraged people to spread awareness and take the campaign to their various communities for effective sensitization.