“4000 to 6000 times, some Nigerian girls are forced to have sex with strangers for the rest of their lives,” so said the British Deputy High Commissioner in Nigeria, Laure Beaufils on Monday in Benin City, Edo State, during a Roundtable on Migration and Human Trafficking organized by the Nigerian Senate.
In spite of the noise been made constantly by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons, NAPTIP in past few years over its accomplishments, Nigerians are perhaps the trafficked humans in Africa and Edo state is notorious for supplying the largest number of young female prostitutes in Europe.
The deputy high commissioner said the situation called for immediate actions that could help end human trafficking.
There is need for a sense of urgency in tackling human trafficking in Nigeria, said the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Ketil Karlsen. “This is after all about human beings and it is about shaping the collaboration between the EU and Nigeria,” Mr. Karlsen said.
The ambassador added, “What we need to be worried about is irregular migration and when people are trafficked. This is when criminals take advantage of the sons and daughters of Nigeria. Our responsibility needs to match the complexity of the challenge of human trafficking.”
The EU, he said, has already committed 47 million euros to the fight against human trafficking.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said the Senate was ‘losing sleep’ over irregular migration and human trafficking in the country, but that as representatives of the people, “they are determined to tackle the problem.”
“Nigeria currently ranks 23 on the Global Slavery Index of 167 countries with the highest number of slaves. “Human trafficking is third in the ignoble hierarchy of the commonly occurring crimes in Nigeria, according to UNESCO.”
“Nigeria accounts for the world’s highest number of irregular migrants going through the Agadez Route. Our citizens represent the fifth largest number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Europe.
“The number of Nigerian females arriving in Italy alone increased 600-fold in just three years. 10,000 Nigerians are estimated to have lost their lives on the perilous journey in five months of last year alone. “We have seen the bleak images of coffins of 26 Nigerian girls, who were laid to rest in Italy last November. This is what brings us today to ancient Benin,” said the Senate President.
Edo state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki thanked the Senate for having the roundtable in his state. He said human trafficking was at variance with the culture of Edo State. Mr. Obaseki is not being truthful. Edo state today is known for human trafficking and prostitution. Otherwise, the Senate wouldn’t have taken the roundtable discussion on the issue there. I had the honour of interviewing two Nigerian Ambassadors to Italy while they are in office. The two gentlemen enumerated the challenges they faced despite the collaboration with the Catholic church and other agencies to stem the tide of human trafficking from Nigeria, especially from Edo State.
It’s the culture of the people of Edo State to send their young girls abroad for prostitution. This has been ongoing for more than 25 years. Edo girls littered all the nook and crannies of Europe, while the ‘Madams’ or ‘patrons’ could be from Edo, other parts of Nigeria or even foreigners, the role the parents of these girls played in the trafficking saga helped facilitate it. To some extent, the government and religious bodies are also susceptible and guilty.
How many roundtable discussion are we going to have for us to realize that we are simply mortgaging our future away? The Senate President was happy reeling out grim statistics with aplomb, what has he and the National Assembly doing to address this issue and many more plaguing the country? NAPTIP is just a means to create employment, that agency is doing nothing other than giving press briefing of phantom accomplishments.
For as long as prostitution is profitable in Europe, Malaysia, South Africa, etc. so will be human trafficking. And for as long as we only talk and do nothing concrete to stop it, so shall our young girls continue to be prostitutes. And when they send money home, the shout of Hallelujah and Allahu Akbar in our churches amd mosques respectively will continue to be deafening.
