Akwa Ibom State government has noted with concern the spate of human trafficking especially women, girl-children and other trans-border crimes, and solicited the cooperation of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to address the menace.
The first lady-designate of the state, Lady Helen Eno-Obareki, has therefore, assured of the readiness of her office to partner with the state command of the customs service to curb the menace through effective sensitisation on the dangers associated with illegal migration especially girl-children and women.
Lady Obareki, who doubles as the senior special assistant (SSA) to the governor, brokered the partnership deal when she received the delegation of management staff of the state command of the NIS, led by the Comptroller, CSI Agatha Odika, in her office at Government House, Uyo, at the weekend.
She explained that her commitment to stop the trafficking of women and children was born out of the need to address the challenges and dangers faced by trafficked children, who, according to her, “are exposed to different forms of danger after they are lured away from their families.”
She noted that more work was needed to tackle the crime of human trafficking in the state, and expressed her readiness to partner with the service to produce sensitisation materials and other logistics “in order to put a stop to illegal migration and trafficking of women and children.
“As an office, we will collaborate with you to see how we can stem this ugly tide of trafficking in our society. Our young children, especially the girls, need to be aware of the dangers of embarking on illegal migration.”
The state Comptroller of NIS, Agatha Odika, commended Mrs Obareki for granting them audience, listing out their duties to include issuance of passport, documents, border security and immigration management for peace and unity of the state and the nation at large.
The NIS boss, who commended the hospitable nature of the state, also lauded the unique leadership style of Governor Umo Eno, disclosing that “the NIS are spreading their tentacles across the state to ensure that criminal elements cannot carry out nefarious activities.”
