By Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto
The National Agency for the Prohibition in Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has said that it has employed three rehabilitated victims of human trafficking as part of its empowerment programme.
It has also secured no fewer than 69 convictions from January 2018 till date.
The Director General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donli, made this known during an interview with journalists in Sokoto Monday.
She stated that the three victims were duly rehabilitated and properly trained before they were given employment by NAPTIP.
“We currently have three people that are graduates as part of our staff who were previously victims of human trafficking.
“We ensured that they were trained after the rehabilitation before giving them employment. This is part of our empowerment programme to ensure that victims of human trafficking are not only rehabilitated but trained to be useful members of the society,” she said.
According to her, the Agency had secured 69 convictions since January 2018 while over 13,000 victims of human trafficking were rescued from inception till date.
The Director General stated that over 6,000 victims had also been rehabilitated and trained in various vocational skills to become self-reliant.
Okah-Donli said she was in Sokoto on a sensitisation move and also to meet with various stakeholders.
The Director General however, acknowledged the paucity of funds and logistics, which had hampered the operations of NAPTIP to secure more convictions.
She added that the agency would continue to encourage the Sokoto State Government to domesticate the Child Right Act to ensure the protection of the rights of children.
