The National Anti-Trafficking Agency (NAPTIP) said it had secured the conviction for 599 persons nationwide since its inception in 2004.
Nduka Nwawenne, the Benin Zone Commander, said this at a consultative workshop with judges and magistrates. The Uromi Justice Development Peace and Caritas Initiative (Uromi JDPCI) organized the workshop.
He stated that the first conviction for NAPTIP occurred on November 19, 2004. The then chief state judge, Justice Constance Momoh, sentenced the convict to three years.
“The agency recorded 80 convictions in 2022, making it the country’s highest number of yearly convictions. The agency also secured 27 convictions between January and March 31”.
He emphasized the need to strengthen victim protection by making the victim of trafficking trust fund more operational, improving their aid and protection.
According to him, the trust fund is supposed to be effective in rehabilitating and reintegrating victims.
Very Reverend Father Fidelis Arhedo, Executive Director, Uromi JPDCI, said that the workshop aimed to mobilize relevant stakeholders. The workshop aimed to activate the trafficking victims’ trust fund from the Edo Traffic in Persons Prohibition Law 2018.
“The workshop was to call for the establishment of victims of trafficking trust fund committee as also stipulated under sections 67 and 68 of the Edo Traffic in Persons Prohibition Law in 2018,” he said.
However, he requested that the judiciary, NAPTIP, and other stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking support the effort to ensure trafficking victims receive their compensation.
cc: Daily Trust Ng
