Politics
NAPTIP partners with Witch Doctors To Curb Human Trafficking
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Julie Okah-Donli, on Friday reiterated the agency’s resolve to partner with witch doctors (also known as Juju Priests) in the fight against human trafficking.
Responding to questions during a meeting with Social Media Influencers in Lagos, Mrs. Okah-Donli said the witch doctors had been unaware of the effects of their practice and had revoked all the curses they laid on the trafficked girls.
“The juju priests have a job to do, they are doing their jobs they are making their money,” Mrs. Okah-Donli said while reacting to a question by PREMIUM TIMES.
“NAPTIP has been able to sensitise them, we’ve had meetings with all of the juju priests, they said they did not even know, they are now ambassadors for NAPTIP because now they report cases to us.”
During a symposium for NAPTIP officials in Abuja on Monday, Mrs. Okah-Donli reportedly said the agency had engaged the services of witch doctors in Benin, Edo State, to curb trafficking in persons.
“When we gathered these witch doctors recently to sensitise them on what human trafficking victims go through in Europe they were shocked,” the Punch newspaper quoted the NAPTIP boss as saying.
“And they have made their commitments to work with us to fight the menace of human trafficking.”
However, in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, NAPTIP said the agency had not hired or employed witch doctors in the fight against human trafficking.
“What the Director-General said was that as part of the agency’s efforts to improve prosecution of trafficking cases in Nigeria, the agency is engaging all strata of society to understand their roles in the fight against human trafficking,” read the statement issued by Josiah Emerole, Head, Press and Public Relations, NAPTIP.
“The priests in those shrines were made to understand the implication of the oaths they administer on the victims and most of them have pledged not to work with the human traffickers any longer and have gone as far as assisting the victims renounce the oaths.”
On Friday, the Devatop Centre for Africa Development, a nonprofit organisation with focus on combating human trafficking, called for the prosecution of native doctors involved in human trafficking.
But Mrs. Okah-Donli said the juju priests told the agency that they had no idea what was going on with girls brought to them for oath-taking.
“All they knew was that the women will bring them that they want to give these girls jobs and they need to swear an oath so they don’t run with our money, so that was the impression that they were given.
“In fact, when we told them they were shocked and then they revoked the curses on all of these girls and said going forward if any madam comes to them they will report to NAPTIP and they will not administer oath on the girl.
“So right now, they are ambassadors for NAPTIP and they are cooperating with us so we cannot arrest them, we need information from them.”
The NAPTIP boss disagreed with claims that poverty and unemployment were the major causes of human trafficking in Nigeria.
“Most of these people who are trafficked don’t go for free. They pay as much as N500,000 to N1 million to be trafficked, so I think it’s more of stupidity and ignorance on their part,” she said.
“How poor can you be if you can afford N500,000 to N1 million? Give N500,000 and I will show you what I can do with it here in Nigeria, I don’t need to be a slave in anybody’s country. So it’s not an excuse.
On NAPTIP’s fight to combat child marriages, Mrs. Okah-Donli said the agency had already begun the prosecution of some of the offenders.
“On child marriages, we’ve been able to rescue about two girls,” she said.
“NAPTIP is no respecter of persons when it comes to doing our job, I can assure you, I can tell you that much. We’ve been able to rescue two girls, young girls who were forcefully married because as far as I’m concerned, a young girl cannot give her consent to marry anybody.
“Once we get the report, we rescue, we’ve rescued two girls like that and we’ve prosecuted the offenders. So if you know of anybody that has taken a little child and claimed that they are marrying that child, please just report to NAPTIP and see what will happen.”
Breaking: Speaker Obasa Debunks Allegation Of Spending N17b On Assembly Gate
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday described the allegation that the House spent N17 billion on the fixing of a gate as spurious and funny.
A self-proclaimed group, Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, had accused the Assembly of spending the amount to construct a gate. The group also sought investigation of the claim.
Speaking at plenary, Dr. Obasa said the allegation stemmed from the fear of some people over 2027 which is still more than two years away.
Obasa further debunked the claim that the House spent N200 million on its recently organised 22nd thanksgiving service for staff.
“It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended 200 million on thanksgiving that did not hold.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.
“This House did not and has not embarked on any such project. We are not that reckless. We had our thanksgiving last Friday and dignitaries from various parts of the State attended it,” the Speaker said.
Addressing further claims by the group about the alleged relationship between him and the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, the Speaker denied attending the latter’s screening and confirmation by the National Assembly.
“They said that I was at the National Assembly when they were confirming the EFCC chairman. I want to believe that there are CCTV cameras at the National Assembly to identify those who attended the event. The press must have written about it too. So the group should do more to confirm if I was there.
“This is just to deny the allegations in the interest of the public and not the writers because the writers are not those we should be joining words with,” the Speaker said.
Earlier, the House, through its spokesperson, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, had addressed the allegations noting that the Assembly bases its activities on integrity, transparency and accountability.
“It is ludicrous the claim about constituency intervention funds and constituency project funds and their handling by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko as claimed by the group.
“One would have expected a self-acclaimed anti-corruption crusading group to do its groundwork before jumping across the fence with conviction that it hit a jackpot to malign an institution of repute in the name of politics.
“Simply put, the Lagos State House of Assembly does not have any such funds. The Assembly does not embark on constituency projects. Instead, once every year, the House holds stakeholders’ meetings simultaneously across the state where constituents have the opportunity to tell the lawmakers their expectations and make requests for the betterment of the state.
“These requests and expectations are compiled and sent to the executive arm of government for consideration as inputs in subsequent budgets. If this is what the group takes as constituency intervention or project funds, we are sure this explanation has given the required education, moreover, it is common knowledge that it is the responsibility of the Executive arm to execute such projects,” the earlier statement by Ogundipe read.
Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
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