NAPTIP to introduce trafficking in school curriculum

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has spoken of plans to introduce human trafficking studies into curriculum for primary and secondary schools in efforts to create more awareness among young people. It comes as the agency says traffickers are increasingly turning to social media to recruit and brainwash young people […]

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has spoken of plans to introduce human trafficking studies into curriculum for primary and secondary schools in efforts to create more awareness among young people.

It comes as the agency says traffickers are increasingly turning to social media to recruit and brainwash young people with promises of better life outside their environment.

In a dialogue with social media micro influencers, NAPTIP director-general Julie Donli-Okah, said the agency could also use social media to build capacity of young people to become self-reliant, create opportunities and partnerships for business and become less vulnerable to the promises of traffickers.

“NAPTIP is on social media, creating awareness,” she said, as the session trended on #dialoguewithNAPTIPDG.

“When people are offering things that sound too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. Run, run, run.”

She also said the agency was actively visiting camps for internally displaced people to teach young vulnerable people to avoid being lured by traffickers wanting to take advantage of their circumstances.

Reacting to concerns about increasing surge of possible trafficking across Zamfara’s border with Niger Republic and the agency’s lack of a desk office in Zamfara, Donli-Okah said its zonal command, which controls Zamfara and Kebbi, was on hand to investigate trafficking in area, but could never be effective without the public providing useful information.

“People see things and they don’t say anything. People know things are happening and they keep quiet,” she said. “We need information.”