The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it is deepening institutional collaborations to strengthen the campaign against human trafficking.
The director general, NAPTIP, Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello, stated this when she visited Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Abuja, on Friday.
Adamu-Bello said that the visit was part of the agency’s strategic engagements aimed at sharing knowledge and harmonising operations.
The NAPTIP director-general said that there were overlaps in the operations of the two organisations.
She said that the visit was to deepen the longstanding relationship between the two agencies and to create platforms for stronger ties.
According to her, the campaign against organised transnational crimes requires strong collaboration and institutional synergy to achieve.
“Drug trafficking and human trafficking are increasingly interconnected globally and locally. We have seen victims of human trafficking being used as drug couriers.
“We have also seen victims being drugged or subjected to substance abuse by traffickers. So, both crimes thrive on similar enablers,” she said.
In his response, Marwa said that NDLEA was committed to partnerships that would tackle crimes that portrayed the nation in a bad light.
He described the appointment of the NAPTIP boss as a good omen for the fight against human trafficking in the country.
The NDLEA chairman commended Adamu-Bello for the proactive efforts she had made so far in the fight against human trafficking.
“I commend your proactive steps and interventions, which have resulted in the arrest of several traffickers and the rescue of many victims.
“NAPTIP is an important and highly critical agency in Nigeria; it deserves the support of stakeholders,” he said.
Marwa called for a legal framework that would define and strengthen the working relationship between the two agencies to ensure seamless joint operation.
