Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) are to work at the Heathrow and Gatwick Airports in London, in a joint operation with the security authorities of the United Kingdom.
The joint operation expected to be for a short period would see the operatives of NAPTIP working side by side with the UK Border Force and other relevant agencies at the two gateways into the UK.
A statement issued by the agency’s spokesman, Josiah Emerole said the development followed some high-level meetings in London between the Director-General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donli and officials of the Home Office of the United Kingdom.
“As part of her partnership drive and in furtherance of her vision towards making NAPTIP a big player in counter-trafficking initiatives across the globe, the Director-General has been engaging various partners within and outside Nigeria, seeking ways of further improving the operations of the agency and the early rescue of Nigerian Potential Victims of Trafficking in Person (PVoTs) from their captors.
“During her meeting with the officials of the Home Office in London, the authorities approved the joint operations at the two airports aimed at randomly profiling passengers with a view to identifying PVoTs and suspected traffickers. The gesture is a result of the NAPTIP boss’ persistence in promoting mutual respect and liaison amongst law enforcement agencies across the globe in the fight against human trafficking,” the statement said.
Mr Emerole expressed optimism that the collaboration would improve mutual sharing of experience, intelligence and expertise between Nigeria and the UK, based on the fact that Nigerian PVoTs could be better identified by Nigerians after a thorough assessment of indicators of trafficking.
He said issues addressed during the meetings include illegal migration, victims care and prosecution of trafficking suspects.
“In her presentation, Okah-Donli who spoke on the need for better collaboration between various countries and the urgent need for joint operations in the fight against human trafficking and illegal migration, stressed the relevance of NAPTIP’s presence at all borders and airports to effectively profile PVoTs and traffickers for necessary actions as other sister law enforcement agencies at such points are overwhelmed with their own areas of mandate and have little or no time to deal with other issues including identification of PVoTs and human traffickers.
“She subsequently emphasised the need to involve operatives of NAPTIP who have also been trained by the UK authorities to jointly work with the UK Border Force at the two airports. Commending the UK authorities for the gesture, Okah-Donli said she will ensure that the operation yields the desired results which would market such collaborative effort to other partnering countries,” the statement added.
The agency asked traffickers and their collaborators to shun the illegal act, stressing that “If we miss you here in Nigeria at departure, we will not miss you as you arrive your destination”.
