By Sonia Dibie
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has requested for more support from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in their quest to rid the country of human trafficking and its attendant consequences on the image of Nigeria.
This request was made by the Director General of the agency, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, who led some members of staff of the agency to the Commission Head Office annex, Wuse 2, Abuja on Friday, January 29, 2021.
The DG appreciated the support that her agency has enjoyed so far and also commended the Commission on the fight against financial crimes in Nigeria; stressing that the reason for the visit is to strengthen the partnership between both agencies.
She noted that human trafficking in Nigeria is huge, “It is a N150 Billion industry.
 “The fight against trafficking cannot be complete without financial intelligence and investigation.”
The DG further pointed out that trafficking has gone beyond trafficking persons and now involves harvesting of human organs for sale. She added that NAPTIP is hoping to begin its training academy soon and therefore the staff will benefit greatly from the wealth of operational and strategic experience of the EFCC Academy and its officers.
Welcoming the guests, the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mohammed Umar Abba, thanked Sulaiman-Ibrahim and her team for the visit while congratulating her on her appointment, noting that it was well-deserved.
He said that the EFCC is ready to sustain its support and existing collaboration with NAPTIP. The EFCC boss noted that over 90% of human trafficking cases involve money laundering and promised synergy especially in the financial aspect.
Abba suggested that NAPTIP set up separate teams to meet with the Commandant of the EFCC Academy and the acting Director of Operations to further discuss the modalities for improving the agency’s training and operational activities.