The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has expressed concern over the rising cases of child trafficking in the South East.
The South-East Zonal Commander, NAPTIP, Mrs Nneka Ajie told the Newsmen in Enugu on Wednesday that child traffickers had devised new means of getting their victims in the zone.
Ajie said that it was sad that in spite of efforts by the agency to arrest the menace, incidences of child trafficking, illegal migration and associated crimes were on the rise in the region.
She said that child traffickers had found a way to perpetuate the evil act in cohort with either parents, relations of their victims or the victims themselves.
She, however, said that the agency was determined to reduce the menace to the barest minimum through the instrumentality of its Task Force on Human Trafficking.
The zonal commander said that the task force had been inaugurated in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu, adding that Abia and Imo had yet to inaugurate theirs.
Ajie said that the idea of the task force was to have state governments get more involved and buy into the programmes of the agency through prevention, policy partnership and prosecution of offenders.
She said that the task force in the three states recently held its coordination meeting aimed at developing a suitable work plan for the respective states and the region.
The zonal commander said that the task force needed a coordinated approach to eradicate the menace in the area.
“A lot still needs to be done. Incidences of child trafficking are growing by the day because the root causes have not been addressed.
“We need to do more as the traffickers have devised new means of getting their victims. We need to intensify the fight at the national, state and community levels,” she said.
Ajie said that NAPTIP under the watch of its Director-General, Mrs Fatima Waziri, had intensified efforts at curbing the menace.
“Very soon, there will not be a hiding place for child traffickers,” Ajie said.