The Inspector General of Police, Ag. IGP Mohammed Adamu, says human
trafficking and migrant smuggling in Nigeria are major threats to
national security. Adamu spoke in Abuja on Monday at a workshop organised by Interpol to
counter trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling in Nigeria.
He said: “Nigeria and indeed the continent of Africa have been
experiencing a surge in the menace of trans-border trafficking in
persons and smuggling of migrants.
“These illegal activities do not only pose a threat to the victims as
individuals but also to the countries involved at both ends.
“The Nigeria Police, working in collaboration with the National
Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the
Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have been at the forefront in the
fight against the menace.
“The Nigeria Police under my leadership shall continue to support the
two agencies while strengthening its institutional capacity towards
addressing the threat of human trafficking.”
Speaking on present and future efforts to curb the menace, Adamu
said: “The Nigeria Police raised the bar by upgrading the Anti-Human
Trafficking Section of the Force with the appointment of a Commissioner
of Police to head the Section.
“In addition to this, the Police have over the years, remained
faithful to the inter-agency framework of seconding police officers to
NAPTIP to support and enhance their investigative and operational
capacities towards attaining their anti-human trafficking mandate.
“In addition, I shall continue to deploy our unique intelligence and
operational assets and draw on my strong network with INTERPOL to
support this initiative, just as I will also be engaging with
international agencies and foreign development partners towards
achieving the goals of addressing the transnational crime of human
trafficking and migrants smuggling.
“These sets of actions are essential because human trafficking and
smuggling of migrants is an organized and transnational crime which
requires multi-agency and multinational collaborative approach to
effectively combat.”