The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) has urged government at all levels to end human trafficking and take punitive measures against the perpetrators as a warning to other intending actors.
Rev. Musa Panti, the Archbishop of the LCCN, stated this while addressing journalists at a press conference to Mark the 2025 World Day against Trafficking in Persons.
Panti said that as a family of over 2.5 million members, and a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the World Council of Churches, and the All Africa Conference of Churches, we have, with a deep sense of compassion and moral urgency, joined the global community in marking the 2025 World Day Against trafficking in Persons with a call to end the menace
The 2025 world day against trafficking in Persons is tagged “Human Trafficking is Organised Crime: End Exploitation Now.
The Archbishop revealed that the sad reality before Nigerians is that human trafficking is not a distant problem; it is a silent, critical, and deadly issue that is eating deep into the country’s families and communities.
“The impact of this terrible crime on our children, young women and men, and vulnerable communities is immense. In Nigeria alone, thousands fall into the hands of traffickers and smugglers who prey on the desperation and hopes of our youth and women, promising them a better life,” Panti stated.
“Many are deceived with false offers of jobs or education, only to end up trapped in forced labour, sexual exploitation, or modern slavery, sometimes across borders, and sometimes right here in our own neighbourhoods.
He said that as a church, they firmly believe that the crime is not only a violation of human rights, but also a sin against the dignity of God’s creation.
