By Prosper Okoye
Nigeria should measure its progress in combating human trafficking by the lives it protects and victims it helps, rather than the number of meetings held or officers trained, a representative of international policy organisation FIAP has said.
Javier Leon, deputy team lead of FIAP, said the review of Nigeria’s National Action Plan on human trafficking offered an opportunity to assess progress, identify shortcomings and establish priorities for the next phase of the country’s anti-trafficking efforts.
Speaking at the 29th National Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Human Trafficking in Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday, Leon said the next plan should reflect lessons from the current one and provide a more effective response to trafficking.
He stressed that no single institution could tackle the problem alone, saying cooperation, trust and shared commitment among government agencies, civil society organisations and international partners were essential to achieving lasting results.
Through a European Union-funded project, FIAP works with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Nigerian partners to strengthen institutions, improve investigative and operational capacities and enhance cooperation.
Leon said Nigeria had made important efforts to combat trafficking, but the challenge remained, with victims losing their freedom, families suffering and migrants dying while seeking better opportunities.
He said interventions should not focus solely on tackling the crime but also ensure that victims received protection, justice and opportunities to rebuild their lives.
NAPTIP Director-General Binta Lami Adamu Bello also called for stronger cooperation among stakeholders, describing human trafficking as a continuing challenge that disproportionately affects women.
Bello raised concerns about the absence of NAPTIP commands in some states, specifically mentioning Delta, which she described as a major trafficking route.
She said state anti-trafficking task forces had been established in 25 states, while 10 states were yet to establish theirs, calling for stronger cooperation among states and partners to ensure coordinated responses to emerging trafficking trends.
She said the forum would provide an opportunity to review Nigeria’s 2027 National Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi said the federal government remained committed to combating trafficking, linking the crime to poverty and vulnerability, which he said traffickers exploited.
He said programmes under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda were aimed at reducing poverty, while efforts to strengthen the judicial system and improve intelligence sharing would help bring perpetrators to justice.
Fagbemi called for greater state participation in funding anti-trafficking activities, saying responsibility should not rest solely with the federal government because victims and perpetrators came from the states.
He urged stakeholders to use the review of the national action plan to address identified gaps, strengthen public awareness and improve prevention efforts.
Osita Osemene, president of the Network of Civil Society Organisations Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), said improving relations between NAPTIP state commands and the network’s chapters would be a priority of his administration.
He said strained relations in some states had undermined the collaboration needed to tackle trafficking.
“I have seen that in some states the relationship between NAPTIP command and NACTAL are strained. We shall change this,” Osemene said.
He urged NAPTIP’s director-general to encourage civil society organisations working with the agency to register with NACTAL, saying a unified platform would improve coordination and strengthen Nigeria’s reporting on human trafficking.
“We want to achieve a good coordination. A country with a good coordination will make a good report because we are going to be reporting as one,” he said.
Osemene said his administration would also invest in building the capacity of NACTAL members to strengthen their contribution to anti-trafficking efforts.
Citing engagements with anti-trafficking organisations in Ghana, Mali, Senegal and other countries, he said Nigeria had made progress in government-civil society collaboration.
“We noticed that Nigeria is at the top,” he said.
Other organisations and international partners, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Swiss Embassy, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), the European Union and UNODC, also delivered goodwill messages, emphasising the importance of continued cooperation and support for Nigeria’s anti-trafficking efforts.
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