Japa: Ex-immigration CG Babandede: Nigerians can leave

According to Muhammad Babandede, a former Controller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, illegal migration and human trafficking have increased in Nigeria because the nation lacks legal measures to prevent citizens from leaving.

He believed that if there were good leaders who were dedicated to doing what was right for the people, the trend could be reversed.

He emphasised the need for the media, civil society, and law enforcement agencies to collaborate in order to fight crime, but noted that there is no law in Nigeria that forbids anyone from living there.

These were the points made by Babandede during an Abuja-based one-day national learning, experience-sharing, and policy brief dissemination session on combating human trafficking and unsafe migration.

The Women Aid Collective organised the event as part of the project “Scaling up prevention of human trafficking and unsafe migration through traditional and new approach,” which is overseen by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Government.

“Good governance is a major issue, not just a matter of crime,” he declared. Do they try to pick people from London to Nigeria, my young daughter, who is now a mother, used to ask me when we first started NAPTIP.

“And considering it doesn’t happen, that was a big question for me. I am confident that human trafficking will decline in Nigeria if we continue to have leaders who are dedicated to acting in the best interests of the people.

“There are no laws in Nigeria that forbid emigration. Some strict nations around the world require exit visas, which means you must obtain one before leaving the country. However, because Nigeria does not have an exit visa, any immigration or law enforcement official at the border must permit anyone with a visa to leave the country without risking legal action.

Josiah Emerole, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons’ Director of Intelligence and Public Enlightenment, reported that between January and May 2023, about 32 people had been found guilty of various crimes related to human trafficking.

He added that the world must negotiate the peaceful transfer of labour and that migration should be regular and safer for everyone.

He added that criminal elements were taking advantage of Nigerians’ desperate attempts to leave the country by encouraging illegal migration and human trafficking.

If anyone claims that there is accurate data regarding the amount of illegal immigration in Nigeria, according to Emerole, they are lying to you because irregular immigration and human trafficking are both illegal activities. This means that you might not be aware of them as they happen.

But over the years, NAPTIP, for instance, has saved over 19,000 Nigerians from human trafficking. Several people have been charged after we stopped a large number of people from taking this risky journey. Between January and the present, about 32 people have been found guilty this year alone.

Emerole claimed that the victims’ reluctance to come forward frequently causes problems for the prosecution of suspects.

Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, the executive director of WACOL, expressed concern that one in every four Africans who are trafficked is a Nigerian and noted that the nation is not doing enough to prevent the practise.

She claims that Nigeria suffers greatly as a source nation, a transit country, and a final destination for human trafficking.

“I believe we’re not doing enough prevention,” she said, “because prevention is key to curbing human trafficking and also addressing the root causes. If you look at the push and pull factors, you will find that poverty, youth unemployment, security issues, inequalities, exclusion, conflict, and even corruption all fuel and exacerbate human trafficking.

“Nigerians make up one in every four of the Africans who are trafficked, and after serving for six years as the UN Special Rapporteur on human trafficking, I find it hard to believe that out of all the nations I have visited, you would find a Nigerian who is being trafficked.

“Yes, in my opinion, we do have NAPTIP, and they are doing a fantastic job with the limited resources at their disposal. However, I believe we need to step it up and acknowledge that this is one thing that harms Nigeria’s reputation abroad.

The significance of community-level engagement cannot be overstated, according to Christian Brugger, Migration Adviser for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Peace and Human Rights Division.

He added that traditional and religious leaders must lead the way in defending their community members who look up to them in the fight against trafficking in persons by taking a “Whole-of-Society” Approach.