By Thompson ABISOLA
The Oyo state command of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Tuesday said it rescued no fewer than 88 trafficked victims between January and July, 2018.
Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, in charge of Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit in the command, Mr Foluso Akintola, disclosed this in Ibadan.
He said that during the period, the command arrested 12 suspected human traffickers, including 37 end-users of the victims.
“Within the period, one Togolese victim and one end-user were handed over to National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for rehabilitation and prosecution,” Akintola said.
He added that 18 victims and two traffickers were repatriated to Republic of Benin and Togo, respectively, through their consular offices.
He also stated that the command facilitated the reunification of a Nigerien, Beninoise and Togolese trafficked victims with their biological parents residing in the state.
The immigration boss disclosed that some cases of alleged human trafficking were under investigation.
Akintola said that the incidence of human trafficking was declining in the area and attributed it to the concerted efforts of the officers in the command.
He called for collaboration of stakeholders, especially in regular education and sensitisation of the people, saying that such would help to further reduce the cases in the state.
