Edo takes fight against human trafficking to endemic areas

As part of ongoing push to consolidate the state government’s effort in curbing human trafficking, the Edo State Government has said it would sustain the campaign to discourage the practice in endemic areas.

In a statement, Assistant Secretary, Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration, Lilian Garuba, noted that the state government will continue to sustain advocacy and awareness creation to combat the menace of human trafficking and irregular migration.

Garuba said the Taskforce will hold its sixth town hall meeting on July 30 in Esan North East Local Government Area, Edo State, adding that the meeting will provide an avenue to interact with the people in the area where the menace of human trafficking is endemic based on data obtained by the taskforce.

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“The town hall meeting will address the ills of Human Trafficking and Irregular migration in Esan North East Local Government Area, Edo State,” she added.

Recall that the Taskforce held similar townhall meeting with different interest groups in Ehor Grammar School, Uhunwode Local Government Area, where the Chairperson of the Taskforce, Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, urged women to assist their daughters in identifying skills they need to acquire rather than encouraging them to embark on illegal journey overseas.

While delivering a lecture at the Department of State Services’ Institute of Security Studies, in Bwari, Abuja, with the theme: “Transhumance and International Migration: Challenges of Good Governance, Peace and Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Governor Godwin Obaseki said the state government was tackling human trafficking in the state by prioritising and investing in quality education and ensuring good governance to engender peace and development.

He noted, “We have opened the flood gates of our three technical colleges in the three senatorial districts; Government Science and Technical College (formerly Benin Technical College), Benin City (Edo South); Government Science and Technical College, Egua-Eholor (Edo Central) and Government Science and Technical College, Igarra (Edo North) to victims of human trafficking and international migration (Returnees) from Edo State, who are interested in the acquisition of technology-based knowledge that will empower them and help build a technology-based Edo of our dream.”