From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has sought the support of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to aid the federal agency in combatting human trafficking in the country.
NAPTIP has also called for support in intelligence gathering and technical training of its personnel.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim, who made the appeal in Abuja when she visited the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, at NAF headquarters, said that human trafficking was the second most lucrative criminal enterprise in the world, posing strategic risks to the national securities of all countries.
The NAPTIP boss, noting that human trafficking as modern-day slavery, is a lucrative $150 billion industry, appealed to the NAF Chief to back the agency in the areas of personnel training and revenue mobilisation. She also called for the Force’s aid in the area of air support, adding that plans are underway by the Agency to establish a training academy, whilst requesting NAF assistance in the provision of infrastructure.
Welcoming the NAPTIP boss to his office, Air Marshal Amao, while assuring her of the NAF’s continuous support, said the NAF School of Air Intelligence at Makurdi could be leveraged to train the Agency’s personnel in basic intelligence knowledge to bring them up to speed in intelligence gathering.
Air Marshal Amao commended the Suleiman-Ibrahim for her efforts in addressing the challenges of human trafficking in Nigeria.
