The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Olatuji Rilwan Disu, has reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to support the operations of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). He stated that the force would deploy its full operational and intelligence capabilities to strengthen the agency’s mandate.
Disu gave the assurance when he received the Director-General of NAPTIP, Mrs Binta Adamu Bello, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. He emphasized a shift towards intelligence-led strategies, including enhanced joint operations, deployment of liaison officers, and real-time intelligence sharing to dismantle organized crime networks.
The police chief also pledged technical support from the Intelligence Response Team and the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre. Additionally, he promised targeted capacity-building initiatives and specialized training for NAPTIP personnel within police training institutions.
Bello expressed appreciation for the sustained support of the police and requested deeper collaboration, particularly in specialized technical assistance and joint operational frameworks, to strengthen NAPTIP’s capacity to address its expanding mandate.
Responding, Disu said regular strategic briefings would be institutionalized to monitor progress and sustain momentum. He added that the strengthened partnership reflects a zero-tolerance stance against human trafficking and related crimes.
Meanwhile, NAPTIP Zonal Commander in Lagos, Mrs Comfort Agboko, has warned Nigerians against the sale of children, stating that offenders would face prosecution. She spoke in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, while receiving 17 pregnant women, one woman who lost her pregnancy, 10 children, and two suspects. The victims were rescued from a baby factory in Okuju, Ilado, Road 1, Zone 1 area of Olorunda, Badagry, in Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“We want to tell the public that we will do due diligence on this case. We also want to warn that people should endeavor to save children and not to sell them because it is another form of human trafficking. If NAPTIP nabs anyone, we will prosecute them,” she said.
