Friday January 23, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng
National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on Thursday, January 22, expressed worry over the status of Akwa Ibom as a state endemic to human trafficking.
Uyo Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mr Ubong Ekwere, expressed displeasure over the development in Uyo while highlighting achievements and challenges of his Command in its 2025 operations report.
According Ekwere, the Agency apprehended 62 (51 females, 17 males) suspected human traffickers and rescued 68 victims last year.
He said the rescued victims have been reunited with their families, except for five who “are still there in our shelter, comprising two male, one female and two babies.”
The Uyo Zonal Commander added that out of 58 cases received in the year under review, “Police transferred five cases to us, four from DSS, two from Nigeria Immigration Service and Uyo Command (NAPTIP) personally handled 47 cases.”
He further mentioned that his Command secured two convictions in the prosecution of suspects with 22 cases pending in Court trial at different stages.
“We expect to secure more convictions this year to serve as a deterrent to human traffickers in the State,” he affirmed.
The Command, he emphasised, would sustain aggressive advocacy in churches, mosques, schools and rural communities to sensitive citizens on the menace of human trafficking and traffickers’ antics.
Expressing the displeasure over Akwa Ibom being an endemic state for human trafficking, Ekwere urged the State and Local Governments to join hands with NAPTIP to win the fight against the crime.
He urged Akwa Ibom state and local governments to raise commitment to the fighting against human trafficking, as the vulnerable children were from the state and local government areas.
He urged parents, guardians to be alert on new trends in human trafficking in the state which involve selling of babies, a serious crime against the state with severe consequences for culprits.
He admonished parents and guardians to be mindful of releasing their young girls to those pretentiously offering to help engage them in greener pastures, but end up committing them to child labour or prostitution.
He further enjoined wellmeaning individuals and organisations to support the agency in the fight against human trafficking as federal government could not do it alone.
He lamented the Command has no operational vehicle to traverse the 31 LGAs of the state, appealing for support from the state government and multinationals operating in the state.
He commended sister security agencies for valued collaboration in intelligence sharing to tackle the crime of human trafficking.
(Vanguard News)
