The war against human trafficking, which has been described as modern-day slavery, has received another boost, this time from the British government.

The British government has set aside 5 million pounds to support the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria.

The British Deputy High Commissioner in Nigeria, Laure Beaufiks, disclosed this during her visit to the Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Justin Okonoboh, in Benin. She noted that creating business opportunities that will employ youths is a veritable way of combating human trafficking.

The United Kingdom deserves commendation for partnering with Nigeria to secure the future of young Nigerians, who are either forced or cajoled outside the shores of Nigeria with the promise of a better life.

Nigeria is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to trafficking in persons including forced labour and forced prostitution, according to Wikipedia. Also, trafficked Nigerian women and children are recruited from rural areas within the country’s borders − women and girls for involuntary domestic servitude and sexual exploitation, and boys for forced labour in street vending, domestic servitude, mining, and begging. Nigerian women and girls are taken to Europe, especially to Italy and Russia, and to the Middle East and North Africa, for forced prostitution.

Clearly, an illegal business that spans between continents has to be profitable. The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, Commander in charge of Lagos Zone Joseph Famakin, identified human trafficking as the third most profitable business in the world after arms dealing and drug trafficking.

“Human trafficking is the third most profitable business in the whole world; it comes immediately after drug and arms trafficking. But of the three, human trafficking is the easiest.”

“Why is it the easiest? Because what they carry is human cargo; you can work on the psyche of human cargo,” said Famakin.

Combating and eradicating trafficking in persons will require more than monetary support from foreign governments. A multi-pronged approach spearheaded by NAPTIP is required to win. These traffickers are ingenious in inventing ways to ensure that they remain in business and they need to be beaten at their game. They have continued to exploit the poverty in Nigeria for their gains.

The declaration by the Director-General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donli, to unleash hell on human traffickers should reassure Nigerians and the rest of the world, that the fight to eradicate human trafficking will be a proactive one.

“If the traffickers decide to sail across the Ocean, NAPTIP operatives shall be ahead of them. If they fly in the air, we shall await their landing and on the death-prone routes through the hottest deserts, we shall be right at the next point waiting for them.” She stated.

As the agency is also working out modalities for it to be included in the whistleblowing policy of the current administration it has promised to embark on massive sensitization involving all stakeholders.

The target of the campaign slated for July should be on parents and guardians who form the supply channel. Some have given up their children for little sums of money or the promise of future rewards.

Asides the image problem that human trafficking has caused Nigeria, one would like to believe that the cruelty suffered by victims of traffickers have provoked this renewed fight against trafficking.

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