From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) has raised an alarm over upsurge in the use of the ECOWAS Travel Certificate (ETC) by suspected human traffickers to transport underage persons outside the country.
The NIS disclosed that its data check and analysis revealed that there is a sudden and worrisome increase in the rate at which young people request for ECOWAS Travel Certificate.
Comptroller, NIS, Bayelsa Command, Sunday James who stated this while shedding light on the rescue of two teenagers said due to increase in requests, the command had to task the ECOWAS unit to add additional security document to the requirement, call the Suspicious Travel Interrogation Form which was zero down to any suspected case.
According to him, the directive of the Comptroller General of Immigration Service Isa Jere Idris, to all heads of Commands and special formations of the Service to ensure water tight border control and management towards the end of the year has yielded fruit in Bayelsa.
“It has yielded results. So far, it has helped in rescuing two (2) victims by denying them the facility and denying several others without genuine reasons after due diligent interrogation. In one of the cases the trafficker who is at large after the victim was stopped prompted our alert system,” he said.
James assured that the Bayelsa Command will not rest on its oars, until the syndicates are exposed and the only well justified, authentic trips without any link to Trafficking in Persons (TIPs) or Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) is established “through the use of our interrogative process and vital intelligence tools to fight the menace.”
He seized the opportunity to call on parents and guardians to desist from releasing their Wards/Children to people with hidden identities or motives, by verifying the kind of work they are to be employed for, where and to report any suspicious move to take their children outside the country for unconfirmed work and mouth-watering plans.
“The fight must be collective, to safeguard the lives and destinies of these young people. All cases being investigated will be concluded before New Year for onward report to the Service. Headquarters, Abuja, while the command steps up its strategies, officers and men are warned to avoid being accomplices in any way,” he said.