By Biodun Busari
The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation has commenced a nationwide tour to sensitise and protect students against human trafficking ravaging the country’s youths.
In a statement made available to Diaspora Tales by the Continental Chairman of NIDO Africa, Prof. Jude Osakwe, on Friday, the tour started in Makurdi, Benue State, to raise awareness campaigns protecting Nigeria’s youth from the growing menace of human trafficking.
Osakwe said the event was launched on Thursday at the Government Model Secondary School hall in Makurdi, Benue State.
“The event brought together a broad coalition of government agencies, law enforcement bodies, and community stakeholders, united around a single goal of equipping young people with the knowledge to recognise and resist the tactics used by traffickers.
“Not less than 25 secondary schools across Makurdi were invited for the event, reflecting the scale of the organisers’ ambition to reach a wide cross-section of the city’s youth as possible in a single sensitisation drive,” he said.
Osakwe cautioned the students against the tricks that traffickers often use to exploit vulnerable children and young people.
Representatives of institutions from the Office of the Attorney General, Benue State, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Ministry of Education and Knowledge Management were among dignitaries to the event.
All the speakers called on students, teachers, and parents alike to be vigilant and not fall victim to the menace.
“The organisers confirmed that the campaign train would next travel to Asaba, Delta State, before proceeding to Benin City, Edo State. The tour will culminate in a grand finale in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, where organisers are expected to consolidate the campaign’s message on a national stage,” the statement added.
