Former IGP, Arase, cautions parents on human trafficking

By Deborah Akpede

Lagos, Aug. 31 2023

A  former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, has advised parents to carry out thorough background checks before entrusting their children to anyone.

He made the call on Thursday in Lagos during a book launch with the title, “We are priceless”,  authored by a crime security reporter, Juliana Francis.

Arase, currently the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), said it was essential to prioritise the safety and well-being of the young ones.

Arase, who was the Chairman of the occasion, advised parents on the importance of ongoing monitoring.

He noted that once parents had entrusted their children to someone, it was imperative to maintain regular contact and keep a tab on their activities.

The PSC boss said that obtaining the phone numbers and contact information of the individuals responsible for the children’s well-being remain crucial for effective communication and oversight.

“Keep a tab on your kids as they go along. Get the phone number of who they are going to stay with and know what they are doing, it is a holistic approach,” he added.

Arase suggested that training law enforcement officers was essential in countering these crimes.

This, he said, could be achieved by educating law enforcement personnel about the signs and the checklist of indicators associated with human trafficking and other crimes against children.

Mr. Godwin Morka, a retired director, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), called for
collective responsibility in combating the crime.

Morka said that combating human trafficking requires a united effort from individuals, communities, organisations, and government agencies.

“There is need for concerted effort by all to stop human trafficking.

“It is doing great damage to Nigerian youths, particularly the female gender.

The book launched by Francis, he said, is one way to achieve the objective, urging others to join in any capacity in fighting the menace.

The author, Francis, who shared a personal experience of how she was raped at a young age, pleaded with parents to exercise caution and not blindly trust individuals who offer to sponsor their children’s travel expenses.

According  to her, the personal experience inspired her to become passionate about covering the activities of  National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and helping girls who have been victims of trafficking.

Francis said that she was raped at a tender age and could not tell anyone, but after graduating from university she started covering NAPTIP.

“I saw girls being trafficked and raped. I became passionate about reporting the menace, especially covering NAPTIP and the girls.

“I saw a 10-year-old girl kept in a hotel, being violated and raped by whitemen and her madam was collecting money (dollars) from the men,” she said.

Francis, CEO of Youthlsens Initiative Development, a non-governmental organisation, said, “we need to start to educate our girls so that when someone tells them he wants to take them abroad they should know something is wrong.”

She urged parents to be careful and not just release their children to anybody who volunteered to take them abroad and foot the traveling bills.

The Publisher of securitynews alert.com called on everyone to unite to fight the crime.

“Everyone should become a campaigner. I want my book to have an effect. It’s a family book, even though the target may be secondary school students.

“Everybody should be more enlightened about issues that have to do with human trafficking,” she said.