Stop blaming indecent act of human trafficking on poverty

AIG Bala Hassan who is incharge of the Nigeria Police Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, on Tuesday urged Nigerians to shun human trafficking and stop blaming the indecent act on poverty.

Hassan made the call while parading two suspects and 16 foreigners comprising of three Ghanaians and 13 Togolese, all victims of human trafficking in Lagos at the command’s headquarters Onikan.

He said that the suspects and the victims were inside a vehicle preparing to move to Akwa-Ibom from where they would ferry them to Gabon before they were arrested.

"On Oct. 13, men of the Anti-Human Trafficking, Zone 2, Onikan, accosted 16 victims of human trafficking at about 10 a.m. at Maza-Maza, around Mile 2 in Lagos.

"Among those arrested are three Ghanaians, 13 Togolese and two Nigerians who we believe to be involved in human trafficking of these foreigners.

"The trafficking routes commence from Ghana, passing through Togo and then to Nigeria.

"The idea is to carry them to Gabon where they will be sold to those waiting for them for either prostitution or to be used as slaves,’’ Hassan said.

"Among the victims are 10 girls, six males and the purpose of this is to traffic them to Gabon. From interrogation we discovered that the innocent victims are being trafficked.

"They were arrested and brought to the headquarters and as soon as investigation is completed, they will be handed over to NAPTIP for appropriate action.

"From our investigation, they were told that they want to go and secure them jobs or better their condition in life.

"And when we asked them why they have to go on a journey to the unknown, some of them said it's because they are poor.

"Poverty should not be a license for this. Look at them now, you can see they are as young as 13, and they will be sent into prostitution or slavery which has been banned several years ago.’’