The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons
and other related matters raised the alarm on Monday that some human
trafficking syndicates were planning to use the Russia 2018 World Cup
to traffic Nigerians, PUNCH reports.
The NAPTIP Director-General, Julie Okah-Donli said at a briefing in
Abuja the agency had written the ministry of sports and the NFF on
the development.
The DG said Russia is one of the countries where many trafficked
Nigerians are stranded and seeking assistance to return home.
She said, “It has come to the knowledge of the agency that some
dishonest persons and networks of human traffickers have concluded
plans to use the forthcoming World Cup to recruit and traffic Nigerian
youths out of the country.
“Their plot is to set up unregistered football supporters’
clubs, unofficial government delegations as well as unrecognised youth
bodies to collect huge money from desperate youths and ferry them out of
the country in the name of the World Cup.
“A case is a girl from the South-South who has been
contacted by a Moscow-based trafficker that she would be airlifted on
June 5 and should pay a huge sum of money. Our operatives in Moscow are
closing in on the suspect. Russia is one of places with high incidence
of human trafficking and many Nigerian victims are held up and seeking
assistance to return home.
“We have already made efforts to reach the Minister of Sports
and Youth Development (Solomon Dalung) and we plan to ensure a World Cup
free of human trafficking of Nigerian nationals.”
The NAPTIP chief called on the NFF to ensure that only accredited delegates and officials make the Russian contingent.
The agency also raised the alarm on the proliferation of fake
orphanages in Abuja, Lagos, Rivers and across the country where secret
sale of babies were ongoing.
“We urge the government departments to review the laws that
permit floating of orphanages by people of questionable character. We
wish to alert the state ministries of Women Affairs and departments of
gender to attend to the upsurge of these orphanages, which specialise in
the outright sale of babies,” Okah-Donli said.