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NAPTIP partners with Witch Doctors To Curb Human Trafficking

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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.

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“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.

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“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.

“Bearing in mind that the use of voodoo and administration of oaths on victims is one of the control mechanisms used by human traffickers on their victims, which makes it difficult for victims to open up and assist the agency in investigation, NAPTIP took its sensitisation campaign to Ayelara Shrines, in Edo State, where these oaths of secrecy are administered.

“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.

“That is not to say that we do not expect the federal government to provide jobs for its people. But the truth is this, not every one of us can work in offices, there’s a lot you can do for yourselves, there are so many opportunities the federal government has come up with, there are soft loans, YouWin and all that.”

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.”

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Lagos Assembly Plans Geographic Information Law

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Lagos Assembly Plans Geographic Information Law

 

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– bill will create comprehensive database of Lagos state

 

 

 

 

 

 

– will curb issues involved in land ownership

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sahara Weekly Reports That A new bill that seeks to harmonise all geographic information service projects of Lagos is under consideration at the State House of Assembly.

 

 

 

Lagos Assembly Plans Geographic Information Law

 

 

 

 

 

The Lagos Geographic Information Service bill, which had stakeholders making contributions on Friday, is also aimed at establishing a computerised central database for all information relating to geospatial matters and related issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 4(2) of the bill says the agency’s responsibilities include introducing, implementing and sustaining best practices for all Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the state as well as “develop and maintain an online platform that will contain all information and statistics on geospatial-related matters.”

 

 

 

 

 

Lagos Assembly Plans Geographic Information Law

 

 

 

 

Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, said the bill, when passed, would help in improving governance and boosting professionalism.

 

“It is targeted at integrating governance with advancements in technology. This is something we hope to always take advantage of so that our state can continue to be ahead in the area of development,” Dr. Obasa, represented by Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, a member of the House, said adding that the Assembly will always make the residents of the state its focal point.

 

Chairman of the House Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development, Hon. Ogunkelu Sylvester, said the bill “shows a commitment and sincere

sense of duty on the part of the legislators of the state to put people’s interest at heart.

 

“Today’s public hearing means a lot to the improvement of

information technology and computerised central database in Lagos State.”

 

Ogunkelu, who represents Epe Constituency 2 at the House, described it as a bill that will cover the database of Lagos just as he commended the Speaker for his passion for the progress of the State.

 

“The bill will guide the government to have a database of everything concerning Lagos and in this case, you could be in your house and apply for a certificate of ownership on your property and have it without even visiting the Ministry.

 

“It will also cut sharp practices and curb fraudulent sales of land. For land, the database will have details of owners including their photographs,” he said.

 

Rasheed Makinde, a former lawmaker, commended the House for its proactiveness while some of the stakeholders suggested the involvement of professional bodies in the proposed law.

 

Eromosele Ebhomele

Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

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Go Back Home and Contest Proper Elections Again, APC Group Tells Former Rivers Lawmaker

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Go Back Home and Contest Proper Elections Again, APC Group Tells Former Rivers Lawmaker

 

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Frontier has advised the members of the Rivers State Assembly whose seats were recently declared vacant to go back and contest new elections.

Denouncing the lawmakers, the Lagos-based group in a statement on Tuesday said their defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is a betrayal of the trust and mandate given to them.

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Signed by its national president, Comrade Ajani Martins, the statement further described the defectors as political prostitutes who have no place in the APC.

According to Martins, their defection is not only morally wrong but a clear sign of their lack of principles and integrity.

Martins, therefore, said the ruling party doesn’t support such illegality and treachery, adding that those who voted for them deserve better.

“We have followed the political crisis in Rivers State and actions taken by major actors, including the assembly members,” the statement said.

“Our great party condemns in the strongest terms the treacherous defection of the 25 Parliamentarians. This act of political prostitution is a betrayal of the trust and mandate given to them by their party and the people.

“We reject and disown them and their selfish interests, which have led them to abandon the principles and values that their party stands for. It is clear that they lack commitment to any party’s ideals and have shown willingness to sacrifice the interests of their people for personal gain.

“We will not tolerate such treachery and will take all necessary steps to ensure that those who have betrayed the trust of the people are held accountable. We trust our party to continue to stand firm on our principles and values, and we will not be swayed by the selfish interests of a few individuals.

“To our loyal members and supporters, we urge you to remain steadfast and committed to our party’s cause. We will continue to work tirelessly to serve the interests of our people and to build a better future for our nation.

“We value loyalty, commitment, and dedication to our party’s principles and values, and we cannot guarantee that those who have abandoned their previous party affiliations share these qualities.

“We, therefore, advise the lawmakers to return home and re-contest. As it stands, they have lost their seats in the House. Our party doesn’t support illegality.“

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The Efficacy Of Primate Ayodele’s Prophetic Ministry Travels To Slovakia

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*The Efficacy Of Primate Ayodele’s Prophetic Ministry Travels To Slovakia*

 

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Unarguably, there’s virtually no continent or country in the world that the prophetic ministry of Primate Elijah Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church hasn’t touched.

As Jesus Christ gave an instruction to His disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to every part of the world, Primate Ayodele’s prophetic ministry which is rooted in Jesus Christ, has gone beyond his immediate environment to the uttermost part of the Earth.

Primate Ayodele practically runs a ministry without walls and boundaries; there is no limit to what he can prophecy about; God has placed in his hands a prophetic ministry that speaks to even the most unpopular nation as long as air reaches there.

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Interestingly, the value his prophecies donate to Earth has earned him the title of a leading prophet in the world; a prophetic icon whose prophecies never cease to come to pass. With about 15,000 fulfilled prophecies to his credit, Primate Ayodele has taken a permanent seat as the most influential and accurate prophet in the world.

To further cement his wide reach as a prophet for all nation, his 2024 prophecy regarding an assassination attempt on a serving prime ministry was fulfilled yesterday in Slovakia, a central Europe country.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico suffered life-threatening injuries when he was shot and wounded in an attempted assassination on Wednesday, the government office said.

Fico, 59, was shot five times in the central town of Handlova on Wednesday. He was in critical condition and underwent several hours of emergency surgery.

The incident shocked Slovakia, a small central European nation with little history of political violence.

Primate Ayodele in his 2024 prophecies regarding ‘The World At Large’ called for prayers against the assassination of a prime minister.

‘’The voice of the Lord whispered to me that in 2024 we must pray against the assassination of a sitting President, a former President, a Prime Minister and a former Prime Minister whose assassination will be successful. Let us pray against a coup in Africa or mounting pressure or uprising that can lead to the removal of a sitting President. The spirit of God says there will be a lot of financial crises globally’’

At the time he shared this prophecy, some critics even went as far as misquoting him to prove a pointless point but undoubtedly, now that it has happened in Slovakia, they will have no choice that to agree with the credibility of Primate Ayodele.

Furthermore on the international scene, Primate Ayodele’s prophecies on the Israel-Palestine war seem like a script of what is currently happening. Before the war started, the prophet warned world leaders to work against escalation that will lead to the death of people but they didn’t listen and just some months after the prophecy, the war began.

He had also said that Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanhyahu will not kowtow in his plans to attack Rafah, a Palestine city. In fulfillment of this, Rafah was attacked some weeks ago by the Israeli army. Additionally, the death of Alice Munro, a Nobel Laureate was foretold by him.

Continuing, the attack on Muslims while praying in a mosque in Kano yesterday is another fulfillment of Primate Ayodele’s prophecy. During an interview session towards the end of last year, the prophet asked Nigerians to pray against attacks of people in religious gatherings.

Summarily, Primate Ayodele’s prophetic ministry has added so much value to life and is worth every accolade given to him. As a Nigerian, he has continued to fulfill his ministerial obligation by frequently releasing prophecies and as a global icon, He has proven his credibility.

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