NAPTIP sensitises 21,792 Ogun pupils on human trafficking
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Ogun State Command, has reached 21,792 secondary school pupils with a wide-reaching sensitisation campaign aimed at exposing the dangers of human trafficking.
The initiative, which spanned two months, was led by the Ogun State Commander of NAPTIP, Mrs Abosede Jimoh, who shared the details of the outreach while speaking with journalists on Sunday.
Jimoh said the campaign had a meaningful effect, noting that a significant number of students had previously lacked knowledge of how trafficking could affect them directly.
“Before this sensitisation, many pupils were not aware that they could fall prey to manipulation into child labour, baby factories, trafficking through orphanages, and other exploitative practices such as sextortion and organ harvesting,” she said.
To strengthen the effort, NAPTIP established Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Violence Against Persons (ATIPVAP) clubs within the schools involved in the programme. These clubs are intended to keep students engaged in ongoing discussions about human trafficking and to educate them about its constantly shifting tactics.
“These clubs will bolster our regular anti-trafficking sessions and ensure the pupils stay informed and alert,” Jimoh explained.
During the two-month campaign, NAPTIP visited eight secondary schools across the state, including Community Comprehensive High School in Ewekoro, Premier Grammar School in Lafenwa, Unity High School in Ago Ika, Salawu Abiola Comprehensive High School in Lafenwa, and St. Peter’s College in Olomore, among others.
Jimoh also reported that the Ogun Command had recently secured two convictions related to trafficking offences, with additional cases currently being prosecuted.
The sensitisation drive was carried out in partnership with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the Ogun State Ministry of Education, under the “Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project” (STEAP).
Mr David Oke, Principal of Premier High School in Lafenwa, Abeokuta, commended the campaign, describing it as a “divine intervention.” He remarked that the physical presence of the campaign team had a more profound impact than media-based approaches.
“This kind of outreach connects with the pupils directly and makes them feel valued,” Oke said. He also applauded NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu-Bello, for her leadership in protecting Ogun’s young people and for the agency’s role in rescuing 78 Nigerian victims trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire.
Comrade Rotimi Okeleye, Deputy Director of Education at the Ogun State Ministry of Science and Technology, echoed the sentiment, describing the initiative as “wonderful” and necessary in the national effort to tackle trafficking.
Mrs Kate Adebayo, a parent and textile trader at Itoku Market in Abeokuta, spoke on behalf of parents and encouraged NAPTIP to expand the sensitisation campaign to other states in Nigeria.
