The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has given all organisations, shelters and homes, offering services for the purpose of rehabilitation of trafficked persons in Nigeria a month ultimatum to obtain clearance certificates to operate in the country or risk being shut down and prosecution in accordance with the Agency’s extant law.
This ultimatum, which takes effect from Wednesday 29th June 2022, was handed down by the Director-General, Dr. Fatima Waziri-Azi at the weekend in Abuja at a meeting with a segment of the Agency’s stakeholders.
The ultimatum is based on the powers given to the Agency under the Trafficking in Persons (Control of Activities of Organisations and Centres) Regulations 2019 and the resolve of the Agency to give more effect to it after the grace period earlier given to the organisations to comply has expired.
Regulation 2019 was issued by the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami SAN on 9th October 2019. The legislation, according to Dr Waziri-Azi, was necessitated by the disturbing cases of trafficking in persons by Nigerians, under the guise of educational, cultural, and musical excursions; labour migration; and sporting-related travels to foreign counties, especially the Middle East, Eastern, and Central Europe.
The Director-General also disclosed that the Agency was also closing in on travel agents and tour operators involved in the recruitment of Nigerians for labour outside Nigeria, educational excursions, cultural, music excursions and competitions with children outside the country without obtaining the requisite clearance certificates from NAPTIP.
Explaining the rationale for the ultimatum, Waziri-Azi said: “Unscrupulous persons hide under the façade of being a travel agent, tour operator or recruiter of labour to deceive, defraud, and lure naïve victims to foreign countries for the purpose of exploitation which takes the form of sexual exploitation, forced labour, debt bondage, slavery, and removal of organs. The Regulation, which is fully operational, gives NAPTIP the powers to regulate, control and scrutinise all travels as categorized by the Regulation and ensure that the intent and purpose of embarking on such travels are genuine, and it is projected that this regulatory function will reduce incidents of human trafficking.”
The Director-General further explained that the Regulation empowers the Agency to charge an administrative fee for the issuance of Clearance Certificates. The fee, according to her, is to cover the cost of verification of documents submitted by the Applicants via https://tipclearance.naptip.gov.ng/
The Trafficking in person (Control of Activities of Organisations and Centres) Regulations, 2019, is in place to ensure that labour recruitment, travel agents, tour operations and operators of shelters and homes offering services for the rehabilitation of trafficked persons conduct their businesses within the ambit of the law and by extension stem the dreadful trend of human trafficking.
