The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has urged European Union to always conduct diligent screening of illegal migrants in their countries before repatriation.
This is just as the EU revealed that 30,000 Nigerian illegal immigrants were in Europe in 2015, compared to 25,000 in 2014.
The agency’s Acting Director-General, Alhaji Abdulrazak Dangiri, made the call in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mr Josiah Emerole.
A copy of the statement was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja at the end of a meeting with a delegation from EU.
The statement noted that such measure would ensure that victims of human trafficking do not suffer untold hardship in Europe.
Dangiri noted that the Protocol to suppress and punish trafficking in persons that supplements the United Nations Convention on Organised Crimes recommends protection and assistance to victims of human trafficking across the globe by member States.
“Victims of human trafficking are not criminals. Therefore, there is the need to provide what is called customised rehabilitation package for them so that they are not vulnerable to being re-trafficked after they returned to their home countries,” it noted.
The director-general, who lamented the alarming rate of illegal Nigerian migrants in Europe totalling 30,000 in 2015 as against 25,000 in 2014 as revealed by EU delegation, added that the agency would require a comprehensive analysis of the figures.
Such analysis would be geared toward ascertaining those that are victims of human trafficking so as to be able to attend to them in line with the global standards and best practices.
“We are calling for a joint intelligence and information sharing on issues relating to human trafficking as a precursor to combating the scourge properly.
“I expressed the readiness of the Agency to collaboration with the visiting delegation and other countries where Nigerian victims are to ensure the wellbeing of such victims and the prosecution of traffickers,” it said.
The statement also quoted the Head of the delegation, Winiarska Helena, as saying that the visit was in line with the Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility Cooperation reached by Nigeria and member States of the European Union in March, 2015.
She revealed that the European Union was particularly concerned with the influx of illegal migrants which now constitute both social and security threat to the region.
According to her, there is urgent need to address the root causes of illegal migration by various countries in order to forestall its attendant consequences and casualties.
She noted that such countries should bear in mind that due to the present improvement in climatic feasibility especially around the Mediterranean route, the number of illegal migrants is expected to peak within the next few months.
“One of the reasons for the meeting was to create a framework of implementation of the Common Agenda on Migration so as to improve International Cooperation with the Agency.
“We assured the Agency of support especially in the areas of rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking and information sharing,” it said. (NAN)