Uyai-Abasi Etido
The Nigerian Immigration Services(NIS) have reportedly detained eleven victims of human trafficking in Niger Republic on their way to Libya.
The victims who were all identified to be women were handed over the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Sokoto.
According to the Service’s Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Controller of Corrections (CC), Tony Akuneme, in a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, the victims were repatriated back to Nigeria by the Niger Republic Police and handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service at the Illela Border Command.
Akuneme stated that the controller of Immigration, Illela Border Command, Ado Rano-Sabo, revealed the incidence on Friday, March 10 while handing the victims over to the Zonal Commandant of NAPTIP in Sokoto.
“The 11 victims who were all women, were apprehended in the Niger Republic on their way to Libya.”
“The young women are from different parts of the country and of various ages ranging from 19 to 37” he said.
Mr Akuneme also advised Nigerians to desist from undertaking such perilous journeys, noting that most victims ended up being used for labour exploitation, prostitution or organ harvesting.