The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP) have strengthened their collaboration to fight the scourge of human trafficking in Nigeria through short film awards.
The 2025 Film Awards, the third edition, featured the presentation of awards to the three best short films which passed through the rigors and standards set by the IOM, as they basically captured the experience of victims of human trafficking and how the scourge is being tackled through storytelling.
The winner of the First prize, Matthew Babalola Oluwatobi, went home with a cash prize of $2,500, with his short film entitled “Hostage”. The second prize went to David Jayeola Adedeji with a cash of $1,500 for his short film entitled “Promise Beyond Borders,” while Ndulue Emmanuel won a cash prize of $1,000 with his short film “I clicked the Link”.
The IOM’s deputy chief of mission to Nigeria, Pace Paola while speaking to reporters on Thursday during the event at the IOM office in Abuja, noted that it had become more pressing for stakeholders to fight human trafficking, especially using the creativity and talent of young people to increase sensitization and awareness about the dangers of the menace in Nigeria and beyond.
She said, “We got even more submissions this year, we started with 40 and 50 and now 80 submissions. So, there is more interest from young Nigerians to join the counter trafficking path through story telling from real case scenarios of people about their experience within the community. That is why the aim this year is to amplify the voices of these young cinematographers.”
