By John Ikani
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Fatima Waziri-Azi as the Director-General of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
Presidential Spokesman, Garba Shehu, revealed this in a statement titled ‘President Buhari appoints Fatima Waziri-Azi as DG NAPTIP’.
According to the statement, Sadiya Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and social Development, was said to have recommended Waziri-Azi for the appointment after expressing the “urgent need for the Ministry to intensify on the existing capacity in NAPTIP in order to achieve its Key Result Areas as identified.”
It added that the recommendation of Waziri-Azi was based on her “pedigree, vast experience and proven track record to drive the agency forward and consolidate on what has been achieved so far.”
Waziri-Azi who was a former Head of Department of Public Law at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, takes over from Basheer Mohammed, the former NAPTIP DG.
The newly appointed NAPTIP boss is a Women’s Rights Advocate, a campaigner against Domestic and Sexual-based Violence and an expert in Rule of Law.
What you should know
NAPTIP is a law enforcement agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, founded in 2003 to combat human trafficking and other similar human rights violations.
It was Nigeria’s response to addressing the scourge of trafficking in persons. It was also fulfilling the country’s international obligation under the Trafficking in Persons Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, complementing the United Nations Transnational Organized Crime Convention (UNTOCC).
Nigeria became a signatory to UNTOCC and its Trafficking in Persons Protocol on December 13, 2000.
Article 5 of the Trafficking Protocol enjoins state parties to criminalise practices and conduct that subject human beings to all forms of exploitation, including minimum sexual and labour exploitation.
In July, NAPTIP claimed it had rescued close to 16,277 victims of human trafficking in the country since its inception.
It also added that it had succeeded in prosecuting and jailing over 550 traffickers.
