Edo State Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has rescued a human trafficking victim with eight months pregnancy in Libya.
The Edo State Command of NAPTIP, Bar. Nduka Nwanwenne, disclosed this on Tuesday in Benin while presenting a cheque of N5 million compensation to a survivour of human trafficking at NAPTIP office in Benin City
“We have a survivor in our shelter, with eight months pregnant, she was rescued from Libya and just came to the shelter recently.The compensation was awarded to one of our survivour by a Federal High Court, Asaba, presided over by justice T. B Adegote”.
He said NAPTIP diligently prosecuted the case with evidences and the Court sentenced the traffickers seven years in prison or pay N5 million compensation to the victim.
He added:”The cases started in 2019 and we got judgement in 2022, this is the first time court has awarded compensation to survivours since 2003. It is a land mark judgement for NAPTIP.Following the survivor’s doggedness in giving testimony during prosecution of the case despite the odd, NAPTIP’s Director General, Fatima Waziri-Azi, has crowned the survivour NAPTIP Ambassador”
Nduka said the survivour was sixteen years when she was trafficked to Libya in 2015 and was rescue in 2017, adding that she was able to identify the trafficker and reported to NAPTIP.
He described the judgement as justice for the survivor,NAPTIP and the society.
The agency secured 83 conviction in 2022 while others several other cases are pending in court.