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From Scholastica Hir Makurdi
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has inaugurated a 30-member Anti-Trafficking In Person and Violence Against Persons (A-TIPVAP) Vanguards in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, to combat human trafficking and violence against persons in schools.
The vanguard is a component of the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), being funded by the Kingdom of Netherlands and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and NAPTIP to create awareness and drive action.
Inaugurating the Vanguard at Government Secondary School, (GSS), 72 Barracks North Bank, Makurdi, NAPTIP Zonal Commander, Makurdi Zonal Command, Gloria Bai, sensitised the students on the dangers of human trafficking and violence against persons.
She charged the vanguard members to advocate actively against trafficking activities within the school and to report any suspicious incidents to the appropriate authorities.
Bai warned students against falling prey to fraudulent overseas job offers, unverified scholarships, and deceptive opportunities. She emphasising that trafficking takes many forms, including sexual exploitation of minors, forced labour, and coercion.
She identified the key causes of human trafficking as greed, overambition, lack of parental care, ignorance and poverty, urging students to be cautious of anyone who insists on secrecy regarding travel plans abroad.
Also speaking, the Project Officer of STEAP, Langyi Selbol, said the initiative is a four-year programme, aimed at educating students, particularly those aged between six and 16 years, on the tactics of traffickers in order to recognise and avoid such threats. The STEAP project, he stated, is being implemented in five states in Nigeria – Benue, Enugu, Ogun, Edo, and Delta.
The Attorney General and Benue State Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mnyim, represented by the Director of Public Prosecution, Dooshima Otserga, urged students to speak out against trafficking and assured them of legal protection.
The Principal of Government Secondary School, 72 Barracks Makurdi, Mrs. Kasuah Angela, expressed delight at the programme launch, describing it as a dream come true.
Speaking on behalf of the newly inaugurated vanguard, Adeva Isaiah, an SS3 student, acknowledged the extensive training they had received and reaffirmed their commitment to the fight against human trafficking.
