The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has revealed that five hundred and forty Nigerians are set for deportation from Libya, beginning from Aug. 10.
Mrs. Julie Okah-Donli, Director-General of NAPTIP, revealed this on Wednesday, August 9, in Osogbo, at the inauguration of the North-West Zonal Command Office of the agency.
She said that the deportees would be brought back to Nigeria in three batches of 180 each.
The NAPTIP boss said that more than 2000 Nigerians were deported from various part of the world from February till date, over various migration offences, including human trafficking.
Okah-Doni disclosed that the agency had rescued and supported more than 12,000 victims of human trafficking, and also secured 325 convictions since its inception in 2003.
She decried the rising trend of deportation of Nigerians from different parts of the world, especially in Africa, and described the situation as “frightening”.
“Such massive deportations are not good for us as a people. Government at all levels must take steps to halt it by initiating measures that will reduce the vulnerability of our people to being trafficked.
“We must also strive to enlighten our people to resist the temptation to leave the country at all cost,” she said.
Okah-Donli, who described human trafficking as a modern day slavery, urged stern measures to end it.
She reaffirmed NAPTIP’s commitment to implementing the Trafficking in Persons(Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act of 2015, and declared that there would be no sacred cows.
