Kogi State Deputy Governor, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi
By Damilola Oyedele
At a time the crusade against child trafficking is supposed to be
intensified, given the poor rating of Nigeria in the international
circle, the controversy over who ordered the release of some rescued 267
children as well as those suspected to be trading with them, has cast a
shadow over government’s sincerity in tackling the incident. Many
stakeholders have questioned government’s sincerity since the
traffickers were released when they were supposed to be arraigned.
But the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons
(NAPTIP) has absolved itself from blame in the release of the victims
and their traffickers who were apprehended at various times by the Joint
Task Force of the Kogi State Army Command on July 28.
According to the agency’ spokesman, Mr. Orakwue Arinze, the children,
their traffickers and the 13 vehicles which they were travelling in were
reportedly released on the orders of Kogi State Deputy Governor, Mr.
Yomi Awoniyi, on humanitarian grounds.
The agency said this is in response to statements credited to the
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of operations in Kogi,
claiming that the agency failed to heed its invitation to take
possession of the victims and suspects, and it had therefore approached
Awoniyi for directive.
This allegation has given rise to speculations that the agency may have
connived with influential Nigerians to release the victims and suspects
so as to ensure that their sponsors do not face prosecution.
Arinze, who is Assistant Director of Press and Public Relations of the
agency, briefed journalists in Abuja yesterday and presented what he
called facts of the matter.
According to him, the agency received news of the interception on July 2
and immediately contacted the Kogi State DCP, Operations to take over
the victims and the suspects into custody. He added that the DCP
expressed concern at the challenge of logistics being faced by the
command to take care of such a huge number of people.
Arinze added that the agency activated its evacuation and reception mechanism in its shelters owned by some of its partners.
“The agency then requested the DCP Operations to formally forward an
official communication to it to enable us to take over the matter since
NAPTIP does not have an office in Kogi State. Another call was placed to
the DCP Operations to follow up on the matter at 1700 hrs same
Saturday and he informed the agency that the Kogi State Government had
intervened and provided minimal refreshment to the victims who according
to him, were at that time kept at the Kogi State township stadium,” he
said.
He added that the agency was told to stay action and wait until July 30
for the handover. However, on the day, the agency’s Director,
Investigation and Monitoring, Mr. Ezekiel Kaura, was told to hold on as
the deputy governor was meeting with senior officials of the police
command over the matter, Arinze added.
“As at Wednesday, August 1, 2012 when we did not get any information,
it became necessary for the agency to move to Lokoja to evacuate the 267
persons to Abuja. On Thursday, August 2, 2012 our officers visited the
DCP Operations who now informed us that the 267 persons victims and
suspects and 13 vehicles handed over to them by JTF had since been
released on Sunday, July 29, 2012 on the orders of the Deputy Governor
of Kogi State,” Arinze said.
Fielding questions from reporters, Arinze said the agency is already
working to ensure that the suspects are re-apprehended and charged to
court.
“We will not let the matter go, we will formally protest to the relevant authorities,“ he said.
Many, however, have wondered why it took NAPTIP as long as six days to
get to the spot where the victims were supposedly kept, given the short
distance between Abuja and Lokoja.
Even then, questions are being asked whether the deputy governor, as
claimed by the police, has the powers to order the release of both the
victims and their traffickers. Or was the state forced to order the
release because of the cost implication of both hosting and feeding the
arrested persons?
And was NAPTIP consulted before the release was made? Given the
notoriety of the police in such matters, many believe that the haste in
releasing both the suspects and the victims cannot be unconnected with
“settlement efforts” by the parties involved in the illegal racket.
THISDAY gathered that the suspects were apprehended on different days
by the JTF, which initially kept them in the barracks. It later raised
the alarm and paraded them as it became evident that the number of
victims was increasing and subsequently handed the victims and their
traffickers over to the police.
At least 103 of the victims were children ranging from ages seven to
15. The victims are from Benue, Kogi and Cross River States and their
parents had received N5,000 for each child. They were being taken to
work in some states of the South-west such as Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Ondo.
It is recalled that Nigeria was recently downgraded from Tier 1 status
to Tier 2 by the US Department of State on the anti-human trafficking
index due to its inability to ensure the persecution of traffickers on a
rate proportionate to the level of the scourge in Nigeria.
Source: ThisDay
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