NAPTIP, Italian Anti-Mafia, Police team up against human traffickers
Hard times now await human traffickers involved in trafficking Nigerians to Europe through Italy as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Security authorities in Italy have agreed to collaborate more effectively in curbing trafficking of human beings from Nigeria to Italy.
This was the outcome of the high powered strategic meetings held in Italy between a delegation from NAPTIP led by the Director-General, Julie Okah-Donli and officials of various Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) of Italy. The NAPTIP delegation was made up of Investigators and Prosecutors. The delegation met with the Head of the Italian Anti-Mafia and Terrorism department; officials of the Public Safety Department; the Italian Police; the Prosecutors of Palermo and Catania Sicily, handling trafficking and smuggling in migrants issues and investigations amongst others.
The meetings were sequel to the plans of NAPTIP to deepen its partnership with authorities of destination countries and jointly drawing a road map to crumbling the businesses of those who traffic or smuggle Nigerians to Europe where they are exposed to lives of misery. The meetings were also aimed at discussing the possibilities of using the criminal evidences in Italy to prosecute criminal gangs of Nigerian origin when they are brought back home.
One of the resolutions was the proper utilisation of all existing global, mutual or bilateral conventions and protocols on combating trafficking in persons (TIP) in curbing further trafficking of young persons from Nigeria to Italy.
Speaking at the various meetings, Okah-Donli called for better partnership between NAPTIP and the Italian security forces in the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of the crime of trafficking in persons. She stressed the need for the Italian authorities and those of other European countries to show more commitment in the fight against human trafficking by arresting and prosecuting their own nationals involved in trafficking. ‘’We are trying our best in prosecuting our own people, but the fight looks one sided as we do not hear much of the prosecution of your own people who are involved. Nigerians cannot successfully exploit the victims of trafficking here without effective connivance and collaboration from your people’’, she said.
She expressed sadness over the frequent deaths on the Mediterranean Sea and called for an enquiry into the frequency of the incidences along the Mediterranean region.
While calling for joint operations and investigations by operatives in Nigeria and Italy, she requested for the deployment of NAPTIP operatives to select Italian Airports, Sea and Border posts to help in identification and profiling of Nigerian Victims and traffickers and to ensure that Nigerian victims were not treated like common criminals when intercepted.
Meanwhile operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) selected for the joint operations with the Border Force of the United Kingdom have commenced operations at the London Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.The team comprising of male and female operatives arrived London at the weekend and commenced work immediately. Their operations entail helping to profile passengers especially those of Nigerian origin with a view to identifying Potential Victims of Trafficking (PVoT), their traffickers and collaborators. It will be recalled that the British authorities recently approved joint operations between NAPTIP operatives and the UK Border Force at the two airports with the aim of randomly profiling passengers and identifying PVoT and suspected traffickers. This gesture was the outcome of 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.
The NAPTIP Boss had at the meetings insisted on mutual respect and liaison by law enforcement agencies across the globe in the fight against human trafficking.
