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NAPTIP Convicts 559 Human Traffickers In Nigeria

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The National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons ( NAPTIP) has said that since inception p over 559 persons have been sentenced to various prisons term in the country.

Barrister Nduka Nwawenne, Benin Zonal Commander of the agency made this known at the Uromi Justice Development and Peace and Caritas Initiative (Uromi JDPCI) consultative workshop with judges and magistrates in Benin City.

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The consultative workshop was on the operationalization of the Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund (VTTF) in Edo State.

READ ALSO: NAPTIP Rescues Three Babies Rented For Begging In Abuja

Nwawenne noted that NAPTIP first conviction was recorded in Edo State High Court where the convict was sentenced to three years imprisonment in a judgment delivered on Friday, November 19, 2004 by the then Chief Judge of the state, Hon Constance Momoh.

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He added that the agency recorded 80 convictions in 2022 making it the highest number of yearly convictions in the country.

He also disclosed that in this year alone, 27 convictions has been obtained by the agency as at March 31, 2023.

The Benin Zonal Commander, opined that there was the need to strengthen victims protection by making the victims of trafficking trust fund more operational so as to enhance the assistance and protection to victims of human trafficking in Edo State.

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READ ALSO: NAPTIP Arrests 6 Over Alleged Baby Factory In Edo

According to him,the provisions of the trust funds is supposed to be an effective counterpoise in the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of human trafficking.

However, both in the Edo state law and in the national law, the funds has not been effective, even though at the Federal level, a committee existed to attract and manage the funds”, he said.

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While noting that the Edo State TaskForce on Human Trafficking recorded its first convictions in 2021, he added that it is making appreciable progress in bringing other human traffickers to book.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Very Reverend Father Fidelis Arhedo, executive director, Uromi JPDCI said the workshop was to mobilize relevant stakeholders and galvanize actions towards the activation of victims of trafficking trust fund as contained in the Edo Traffic in Persons Prohibition law 2018.

READ ALSO: Over 20,000 Nigerians Trapped In Mali – Says NAPTIP

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He also added that the workshop was to call for the establishment of Victims of trafficking trust fund committee as also stipulated under section 67 and 68 of the Edo Traffic in Persons Prohibition law in 2018.

He, however, solicited the support of the judiciary, NAPTIP and other stakeholders’ in the fight against human trafficking to ensure that compensation are being paid to victims of human trafficking.

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Police Dismiss Sergeant Over N98,000 Extortion

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The Police Command in Lagos State has announced the dismissal of Sgt. Ekpo Shimuyere was attached to Sogunle Division for extorting a young man of N98,000.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin told newsmen on Wednesday that the Provost Department of the command had already disrobed the dismissed sergeant.

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According to him, the dismissed sergeant collected the phone of his victim and used a POS operator to transfer N98,000 out of the N100,000 in the young man’s bank account.

READ ALSO: Obaseki Celebrates Osimhen, Alegeh, Omogiafo, Others For Bagging National Awards

Hundeyin said that the action of the policeman was contrary to the ethics of the profession.

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“Police got the complaint from the victim and the officer denied the crime when he was contacted. The command placed him under detention so that he will not tamper with the evidence.

“We wrote to his bank and obtained his statement of account. We were able to trace the money to where the POS operator transferred it to before transferring the money to the officer’s account.

“We followed due process to get his account. The victim was invited in the course of the investigation, and he testified.

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“The POS operator was also invited, and he said the officer requested him to transfer the money from the victim’s account to another one,” Hudenyi added.

He said that the Sergeant was consequently subjected to an Orderly Room trial in line with extant laws.

READ ALSO: Ondo Farmer Bags 21 Years Jail Term For robbery

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The Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, Mr Idowu Owohunwa, have reviewed the orderly room procedure of the officer with Force No. 461654, attached to Sogunle Police Division and has approved the punishment of dismissal from the Force,” he said.

Hundeyin said that the commissioner warned officers and men against any form of corruption, stressing that the dismissal was to serve as a deterrent to others.

He further warned that the command would continue to punish any police officer found to have engaged in unprofessional conduct.

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VIDEO: Dismantle EFCC, Sack Bawa For Successful Anti-corruption War – Agbakoba

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Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba, has asked President Bola Tinubu to dismantle the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in his bid to have a successful anti-corruption war.

Agbakoba stated this while speaking in an interview on The Morning Show of Arise Television on Wednesday.

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The legal luminary also urged the President to relieve the EFCC chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa of his job, in order to have a fresh leadership for the agency in the new administration.

He said, “We need to talk about anti-corruption. The anti-corruption process is not working. I have challenged the constitutionality of the EFCC. The EFCC is a behemoth and it needs to be dismantled.

READ ALSO: EFCC Reacts To DSS’ Siegure On Lagos Office

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“Mr. Bawa needs to go because what he’s doing is not attracting people’s confidence. He needs to go. He’s always in battles with everybody. Now, he’s battling Metawalle. That’s not the way to fight corruption.

“We need to see Mr. Bawa step aside honourably so that the anti-corruption process can be seen to be genuinely fought by the President without any equivocation,” he said.

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NAPTIP Sacks Director, Four Officers For Misconduct

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The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has dismissed a deputy director and four other officers for various offences including bribery, corruption and leaking confidential information to suspects.

The Press Officer of the NAPTIP, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

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Adekoye explained that the offences range from corruption to demanding and receiving bribes from suspects and relatives.

READ ALSO: How Nigerian Women Working In Iraq Are Being Exploited – NAPTIP DG

According to him, other offences committed by the officers were leaking confidential information to suspects that endangered the lives of colleagues, violating the oath of secrecy, stealing and alteration of official records and being absent without official leave.

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He said, “These offences are all contrary to provisions of the Public Service Rules and other extant laws and regulations. Two other officers were demoted by two ranks for soliciting bribes from a suspect of human trafficking, while one officer was demoted by one rank for negligence of duty.

“The disciplinary actions followed the approval of the Governing Board of the Agency at its meeting of May 25, 2023. At that meeting, the board considered and ratified the decision of the agency’s Senior Staff Committee which earlier sat on the disciplinary matters in accordance with the Public Service Rules and other extant laws and regulations.”

READ ALSO: NAPTIP Rescues Three Babies Rented For Begging In Abuja

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Adekoye also announced that a Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto State convicted a law enforcement officer and sentenced him to prison.

He said the officer was convicted on two counts of trafficking, contrary to section 26 (2) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act (2015) and was sentenced to five years on each count.

He added, “This is NAPTIP’s 37th conviction and counting for the year 2023.”

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