The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is a law enforcement agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, founded on the 14th of July, 2003 by the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act of 2003 in order to combat

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

and other similar

human rights violations Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...

. NAPTIP is a national compliance to the international obligation under the Trafficking in Persons Protocol and responds to the need to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, complementing the United Nations Transnational Organized Crime Convention (UNTOC). It is one of the agencies under the supervision of the

Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is a Nigerian ministry whose mission is to develop humanitarian policies and provide effective coordination of National and International humanitarian interv ...

. Since inception, the agency have investigated over ten thousand cases of human trafficking and prosecuted about five hundred defaulters. Between 2003 and 2017, they convicted over 331 human traffickers and rescued about 3000 victims from Libya and other places. Senator Basheer Mohammed took over from Mrs Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim as the Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in May, 2021. In September, 2021, Senator Basheer Mohammed was replaced by Fatima Waziri-Azi.

Origin

NAPTIP was established under a federal bill on July 14, 2003 by the Trafficking in Persons(Prohibition)

Enforcement Enforcement is the proper execution of the process of ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, rules, standards, and social norms. Governments attempt to effectuate successful implementation of policies by enforcing laws and regulations. Ena ...

and Administration Act (2003) through the

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF) is an anti-human trafficking organisation that attempts to stop human trafficking and child labor in Nigeria. WOTCLEF's areas of focus are: human trafficking, child labour, abus ...

(WOTCLEF).

Objectives

NAPTIP is mandated to enforce the Trafficking in Persons(Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act (TIPPEA) in Nigeria

Departments

To discharge its duty smoothly in combating human trafficking, the agency has the following departments and units: * Investigation and Monitoring * Legal and Prosecution. * Counselling & Rehabilitation * Public Enlightenment * Research and Programmes Development * Training and Manpower Development. * Administration. * Finance and Accounts.

Units

* Procurement * Press and Public Relations * Intelligence and International Cooperation. * Audit. * Reforms. * Rapid Response Squad (RRS)

Zonal Commands

Currently, the agency has 9 zonal commands located in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

Uyo Uyo is the capital city of Akwa Ibom in South South Nigeria. Ibibio is the language spoken in Uyo. It became the capital on September 23, 1987 when Akwa Ibom was created from the former Cross River State. According to the 2006 Nigerian Cens ...

Sokoto Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the c ...

Maiduguri Maiduguri is the capital and the largest city of Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border form ...

Oshogbo Osogbo (also ''Oṣogbo'', rarely ''Oshogbo'') is a city in Nigeria. It became the capital city of Osun State in 1991. Osogbo city seats the Headquarters of both Osogbo Local Government Area (situated at Oke Baale Area of the city) and Olorund ...

, and

Makurdi Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016, Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated popula ...

Working With CSOs

The agency partners non-government organizations to carry out its tasks in different states. In 2013, NAPTIP started partnering with

Devatop Centre for Africa Development Devatop Centre for Africa Development is a youth-led nonprofit organization with aimed towards fighting and combating human trafficking, gender-based violence, child abuse, providing educational materials and academical support to vulnerable chil ...

, a youth-led anti-human trafficking organization, to train and empower youth in combating human trafficking in Nigeria, as well as investigating cases and rescuing victims. NAPTIP also partners with Network of CSOs Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour, Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation, and many others.

Working With EFCC

NAPTIP requested for more support from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in their quest to rid the country of human trafficking and its attendant consequences on the image of Nigeria. This request was made by the Director General of the agency, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.

Achievements

Since its inception, the agency has had over 331 convictions on human trafficking, as of September 2017. Between 2003 and 2017, over 3000 victims have been rescued by NAPTIP. The agency has been at the forefront of rescuing and rehabilitating Nigerians from Libya, with the help of Federal Government, International Office or Migration, and other international organizations, which has gotten a commendation from United States.

References

External links

Official website

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