Delta State’s newly inaugurated Taskforce on Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration has commenced work to fish out the cartels behind the twin-crime that have continued to ravage the state.
The chairman of the taskforce and Attorney-General of the state, Peter Mrakpor, said his team would carry out the mandate given to them by ensuring the offenders were fished out and prosecuted.
Mrapkor, who spoke during the taskforce’s inaugural press briefing in Asaba, said many suspected traffickers were already being prosecuted in the state. “There is no sacred cow on the march to get things right,” he said.
He explained the mandate of the taskforce included to clamp down on operators of illegal orphanages involved in the sale of babies, baby factories, traffickers in persons and others involved in illegal migration.
According to him, the taskforce would work towards rehabilitation and orientation of Deltans deported for illegal migration to make them useful to themselves and the society.
He said that the approach adopted by the taskforce in achieving the set goals included sensitisation and town hall interactive sessions with critical stakeholders namely: traditional rulers, civil society, women and youth groups, churches and mosques.
He therefore solicited the cooperation of all stakeholders to enable the taskforce achieve the goals.
The state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, had while inaugurating the taskforce expressed worry over the alarming rate of the crimes in the state.
“We are very worried as a state that we occupy high position among the states affected by human trafficking and irregular migration; we are committed as a state to stem the tide. That is why we are setting up this serious task force. We need to reach out to our people and discourage them from seeking greener pastures that do not exists; irregular migration and human trafficking are evils that have visited our state and it must be checked.
“We will need to get the church, the traditional institution, the youths, all relevant groups to be involved; we need partners for the message to get to a lot of persons within the shortest possible time to check irregular migration and human trafficking,” he stated.
While stressing his administration’s preparedness to carry out reintegration programmes for those who returns, Okowa assured the state indigenes that “We have chosen the right set of persons to be members of the task force and we congratulate them believing that they will carry out their functions diligently.
