Illicit Trade On Babies, Child Trafficking Boom In Cross River

... Stakeholders Call For Prosecution Of  Culprits

By Victor UDU

Concerns over the boom in the illicit trade on babies and child trafficking have heightened as figures of
arrests of perpetrators by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in
January, 2024 alone hit 12 and still counting.

Statistics emanating from the NAPTIP show that in 2003 alone, more than 62 arrests were made with 27
prosecutions and 9 convictions.

Irked by this trend, stakeholders have called for the prosecution and conviction of perpetrators to
address the embarrassing boom in the illicit trade, said to be allegedly facilitated by dealers from Ebonyi
and Akwa Ibom states.

More worrisome is the fact that the perpetrators of the illicit business are walking the city of Calabar with
shoulders high as untouchables.

So far, NAPTIP and related agencies are perplexed at the rise but are greatly handicapped owing to lack
of funds to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators, who have been enriched with proceeds from the illegal
business.

Alleging that the collaborating agencies including the Army, police, Directorate of State Services, DSS, Nigerian Security And Civil Defense Corps, (NSCDC) and others have all the necessary information to
arrest and prosecute these culprits, our source said it was very disturbing that   NAPTIP was not
financially sound to foot bills to facilitate the above activities or execute its mandate.

The supporting role of the security in the arrests of the culprits was acknowledged by our source who
observed that so much is still not done because of poor funding of the Agency. 

Contributions of the judiciary, especially the Federal High Court has been very laudable in the speedy
dispensation of matters brought before it, but according to information at our disposal, the state High
Court needs to do more to address frequent delays in the dispensation of matters before her.

According to The Beagle News findings, the support from line MDAs, and NGOs have not been
encouraging enough to boost the activities of the NAPTIP to tackle the menace in the state.

The gross under funding of NAPTIP is a major setback to the success and execution of its mandate as
there are no vehicles for logistics and ready funds for quick, decisive and spontaneous response to
distress calls from victims, the concerned source stated.

Reports indicated that dealers are having a good time while Cross Riverians and residents alike are at
the receiving end of pains inflicted by the illicit trade.

Another source confided in The Beagle News that for as small as seventy thousand Naira,(70, 000) and
one hundred and fifty thousand Naira only, (150, 000) a baby of 3days and  3 months could be sold,
 citing greed, ignorance, poverty and lack of awareness as reasons that makes the business thrive.

An inner source, name withheld stated that if there are to be any changes for the better, the approach
and response from government and stakeholders must change in addition to stepping up deliberate
awareness campaigns and education of the masses on the demerits of the business while also creating
other viable options for business.

Additionally, culprits must be prosecuted and punished accordingly if the menace is to be nipped or put
under control., the source suggested.

An anonymous key player in the social welfare sector pointed at some local government areas as flash
points where baby trade booms to include Calabar South, Calabar municipality, Odukpani and Akpabuyo
while child trafficking is common in Yakurr, Boki, Yala ,Akpabuyo and Bakassi with Yakurr at the top of
the trade, made possible by communities like Ekori and Agoi Ibami in addition to Ukelle in Yala, fueling
the trade from the North of the state.

According to our sources, adult victims are used for forced labour and exploitation in Cocoa farms in
Nigeria, Mali and Senegal among other countries while under aged and adult females are used as sex
slaves in many instances.

The source informed The Beagle News that child trafficking thrive more in December and January
annually with ages of perpetrators ranging between 25 to 65 and victims as young as even a day old
child.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Person, NAPTIP, was established by the
Trafficking in Person (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 whose legal responsibilities
include but not limited to the Prohibition of buying or selling of human beings for any purpose,  force
labour, employment of child as domestic worker and inflicting grievous harm,  abuse , procurement or
recruitment of person under 18 years for prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation and importation
and exportation of person among other responsibilities.

The agency's objectives include to provide an effective and comprehensive legal and institutional
framework for the prohibition, prevention, detection, prosecution and punishment of human trafficking and related offences in Nigeria and protect victims of human trafficking and others.

The extent to which this law is effective is dependent on its level of implementation, therefore, it is
imperative for government to make it work else it would be a lame duck and work rendered by the
Assembly an exercise in futility, according to our source.

It is worthy of note that though the trade booms in the state, Cross Riverians are the vulnerable and
victims of the illicit trade and not the merchants.