The Jigawa State Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 221 victims of human trafficking within two years of its establishment in the state.
The State Commander, Mr. Abdulladir Turajo, disclosed this during a one-day sensitisation programme held in Kazaure as part of the agency’s intensified campaign against human trafficking.
According to Turajo, the rescued victims have since been reunited with their families following the establishment of the Jigawa Command in July 2023.
He revealed that within the same period, the command secured two convictions and carried out 175 sensitisation programmes across communities, schools, religious centres, motor parks, and marketplaces throughout the state.
The awareness campaign, organised in collaboration with the Jigawa State Ministry for Local Government and Community Development, marks the first phase of a state-wide sensitisation exercise targeting critical stakeholders across the 27 Local Government Areas of the state.
Turajo explained that the outreach would be conducted in three phases, starting with the 12 local governments in the Jigawa Northwest Zone. The second phase, he said, would hold in Hadejia for the eight local governments in the Northeast Zone, while the final leg would take place in Dutse, covering the seven local governments of the Southwest Zone.
He described the campaign as crucial, given Jigawa’s strategic location as one of the major routes and recruitment hubs used by traffickers for cross-border human trafficking activities.
Turajo noted that the sensitisation exercise is designed to engage community stakeholders on the risks, consequences, and prevention of human trafficking.
“The Command wishes to use the programme to establish partnership with the local communities for effective response against trafficking in person in the local communities, through intelligence sharing and reporting of cases and incidences of trafficking from the local grassroot levels,” he said.
The commander also commended the Ministry for Local Government for sponsoring the initiative and lauded Governor Umar Namadi for his unwavering support toward the success of NAPTIP’s counter-trafficking operations in the state.
In his address, the Commissioner for Local Government, Mr. Ibrahim Garba, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to collaborate with NAPTIP in eradicating human trafficking in Jigawa.
Garba, who was represented by the Director of Social Development in the ministry, Mahmud Mukaddas, urged community leaders and participants to actively support the agency’s efforts to curb the menace.
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Adamu Bashir, the Area Commander of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in the zone, appealed to parents and guardians to remain vigilant and protect their children from being lured by traffickers under false promises.
The sensitisation drive is expected to deepen community participation in the fight against human trafficking and strengthen grassroots surveillance across the state.
