Reps To Probe Status Of Nigerian Girls Trafficked For Sexual, Other Abuses

The House of Representatives has resolved to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the current status of Nigerian girls trafficked to Mali and other West African countries for exploitation and forced labour.

It also agreed to identify challenges hindering coordination among relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) involved in combating human trafficking, and recommend policy reforms to strengthen inter-agency cooperation.

The House saddled its Committee on Humanitarian Services, Diaspora, Foreign Affairs and Justice with the assignment.

This followed the adoption of a motion titled:”Need to Strengthen the Repatriation, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration of Trafficked Nigerians from Mali and Other West African Countries,” moved by Hon. Tolulope Akande -Sadipe (APC, Oyo) at plenary on Thursday.

Moving the motion, Akande-Sadipe notes that the trafficking of Nigerian girls and young women to Mali and other West African countries, especially for sexual exploitation and forced labour is on the rise at an alarming rate.

She also noted that the trafficking of adults has persisted for over a decade despite the efforts of the Federal Government through the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

The lawmaker said adult traffickers, having become aware of the risks, have now diverted their attention to children as young as
ten years old who are often sold to brothels or organ harvesters.

Akande -Sadipe said reports from humanitarian organisations, including the National Council of Child Rights Advocates of Nigeria (NACCRAN), indicate that hundreds of Nigerian minors remain trapped in Mali and neighbouring countries under extremely exploitative conditions.

According to her, many of these victims were either kidnapped or lured from Nigeria under false promises of legitimate employment.

“The humanitarian collaboration between NACCRAN, NAPTIP, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, the House Committee on Humanitarian Services, and other partners, which recently led to the successful rescue and repatriation of several underage Nigerians from Mali.

“Many of these victims who were internally displaced upon arrival in Nigeria, have since been reunited with their families through the efforts of the House Committee on Humanitarian Services.

“Effective repatriation and reintegration require a multi-agency approach involving medical and psychosocial support, vocational empowerment, and sustainable reintegration programmes to prevent re-trafficking; hence, the need to assess the effectiveness of ongoing repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration programmes for rescued victims.

“Despite Nigeria’s international commitments under the Palermo Protocol, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, coordination gaps, inadequate funding, and bureaucratic delays continue to hinder the timely rescue and
repatriation of trafficked Nigerian citizens,” she added.

Adopting the motion, the House urged relevant ministries and agencies to develop a comprehensive Repatriation and Reintegration Framework for
Nigerian victims of human trafficking in line with global best practices.

It also asked the Federal Ministry of Works to allocate special intervention funding for the repatriation, rehabilitation, and empowerment of trafficked Nigerian girls in the 2027 budget estimates.