By Oluwatoyin Adegoke
Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, in Ogun State have arrested a 26-year-old woman, Omotola Sarah, for allegedly trafficking a 13-year-old girl to Burkina Faso for sexual exploitation.
The State Commander of NAPTIP, Mrs Bosede Jimoh, disclosed this during a sensitisation and inauguration of a Vanguard Club at Kobape Community High School in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the State.
Mrs Jimoh explained that the suspect, a divorcee and mother of six, was currently under investigation, while efforts were ongoing to dismantle the trafficking network linked to the case, including collaborators outside the country, adding that with the intervention of NAPTIP Ogun Command, the victim was successfully rescued and repatriated to Nigeria.
Describing the arrest as a major breakthrough in the fight against human trafficking in the state, Mrs Jimoh explained that the victim was trafficked from a salon in Abeokuta where her mother had enrolled her for vocational training in hairdressing due to academic challenges.
She warned parents and students to be vigilant, noting that traffickers often exploited vulnerable situations to lure unsuspecting victims.
The NAPTIP Commander expressed optimism that the Vanguard Club initiative would empower students with the needed knowledge to avoid trafficking and raise awareness on its dangers.
Addressing the students, the school Principal, Mrs Adeyinka Akinyele and a Desk Officer from the Ministry of Education, Mrs Modupeola Afolabi, advocated more commitment to the anti-trafficking campaign, urging the learners to speak up and report suspicious activities.
Delivering a lecture, the State Project Officer of the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project, STEAP, Mr Samuel Okoroji, emphasized the importance of awareness and capacity building for students, teachers and other stakeholders to enable early identification and response to trafficking cases.
The event was put together in collaboration with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, ICMPD, with support from the Government of the Netherlands, as part of efforts to curb the rising incidence of human trafficking among school-age children.
