The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has secured the conviction of no fewer than forty suspected human traffickers by various courts in Nigeria for human trafficking offences between January and June 2023.

Its Director Training and Manpower Development, Arinze Orakwe made the disclosure at a 3-day Training and Capacity Development orientation on Standard Reporting Template for members of the TIP Media Corps and Officers of Press and Public Relations Unit in Ikeja, Lagos.

Orakwe hinted that the traffickers are very deadly and do employ several tricks which include Kidnapping, abduction, coercion to lure their victims to submission.

In addition, Orakwe stressed that the traffickers do assassinate their victims when they are not cooperating and felt they may be exposed.

Orakwe, who urged journalists to show interest and compassion in the reportage of human trafficking, cautioned that survivors should not be treated as criminals, saying that they were lured into the crime against their consent, with promises of greener pastures abroad.

He pointed out that there are cases where survivors are hostile and failed to cooperate with the agency to ensure successful prosecution for conviction.

This, he said is caused by pressure from parents and relations in order to save the traffickers, who are most times family members, believed were out to assist them out of poverty.

On how to stem the tide of citizens falling prey for human trafficking, he said the Federal Government should make the environment conducive by providing social welfare scheme, massive jobs and other things that make live comfortable.