The Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Africa has stepped up efforts to tackle human trafficking and drug abuse by organising an awareness campaign for students in Benue State.
The sensitisation programme was held at Padopas Harmony Secondary School in Makurdi, where students were educated on the risks associated with human trafficking, illegal migration and substance abuse.
The campaign was led by the Continental Chairman of the organisation, Jude Osakwe, who said the initiative formed part of NIDO Africa’s strategy to protect young Nigerians from falling prey to traffickers and drug syndicates.
Osakwe said the organisation deliberately chose schools as a starting point in order to reach young people early and educate them on the dangers posed by traffickers who lure victims with promises of better opportunities abroad.
According to him, many Nigerian children are deceived with offers of greener pastures overseas but eventually find themselves trapped in exploitative conditions, with some girls forced into prostitution while boys are subjected to hard labour.
He also warned that some victims are trafficked for even more disturbing purposes, including organ harvesting, stressing that educating children and their families at the grassroots level remained critical to curbing the menace.
Osakwe said the organisation distributed flyers, textbooks and specially branded notebooks containing anti-trafficking messages to reinforce the awareness campaign among the students.
He added that human trafficking remains widespread in Nigeria and across West Africa, noting that NIDO Africa has been actively involved in rescuing Nigerian children from trafficking networks operating in neighbouring countries.
According to him, while illegal migration is more prevalent in North Africa where migrants attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, trafficking is a major challenge within the West African sub-region.
Osakwe disclosed that the organisation rescued more than 2,000 Nigerian children from Ghana within a year, many of whom were between the ages of 10 and 15.
He also recounted a case involving a trafficker who transported 15 Nigerians to Ghana, including two of his own sisters, adding that the suspect was later arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by a Ghanaian court.
Also speaking, the Makurdi Zonal Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Gloria Bai, represented by the Head of Public Enlightenment, Torkwase Yaji, described the awareness campaign as timely.
She said human trafficking remained a serious violation of human rights and called on stakeholders to work together to protect children from exploitation and abuse.
The Vice Principal (Academics) of the school, Catherine Achagh, expressed appreciation to NIDO Africa for bringing the campaign to the institution, noting that the initiative would help students better understand the dangers associated with trafficking and drug abuse.
