THE ROLE OF POVERTY IN THE PREVALENCE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NAPTIP SOKOTO ZONAL COMMAND (2003-2010)

THE ROLE OF POVERTY IN THE PREVALENCE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NAPTIP SOKOTO ZONAL COMMAND (2003-2010)

Abstract:

Human trafficking entails the forceful or deceitful recruitment of people; mostly young and able bodied people for forced labour, prostitution and other forms of exploitation. This phenomenon has become a recurrent problem in Nigeria despite concerted efforts made by government, international and Non-Governmental Organizations to curbthe menace in the Country.This study which sought to establish the role of poverty in the prevalence of human trafficking in Nigeria is an attempt to address the root cause of the problem. Hence it focused on the review of existing institutional intervention by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) Sokoto Zonal Command as a measure to identify gaps and appropriately provide an alternative approach that will effectively curb the prevalence of human trafficking in Nigeria. The research was carried out within the ambit of Relative Deprivation Theory and adopted both primary and secondary types of data collection using simple descriptive statistics techniques to generate data for the study through structured interview and questionnaire. The study which interrogated the interface between poverty and the prevalence of human trafficking in Nigeria, found out that majority of respondents 99 (75.%) agreed that the nature of human trafficking in Nigeria involves the forceful or deceitful recruitment of mostly young and able-bodied people for forced labour and other forms of exploitation, while 71 (53.8%) agreed that poverty and poor access to sources of material wealth plunges people in Nigeria into human trafficking as they desperately seek alternative means of survival and101(76.5%)strongly agreed that factors contributing to porverty provide favourable environment for the prevalence of human trafficking in Nigeria. The research therefore recommends that a comprehensive synergy involving Government and relevant stakeholders targeted at alleviating poverty will effectively tackled the prevalence of human trafficking in Nigeria. Other recommendations include strengthening the capacity of NAPTIP, relevant law enforcement agencies and traditional institutions to co-ordinate and sustain a strong security network that will identify, report, arrest and prosecute Traffickers and other offenders; serve as a deterrent and check the prevalence of human trafficking in Nigeria. In addition, the study recommends that the teaching and promotion of Nigeria‟s history, national core values of patriotism and nationalism should be given priority and inculcated in the national school curriculum in order to encourage the youths and the entire people of Nigeria to believe in themselves and the country and discourage the excessive quest for illegal migration in search of greener pasture abroad.

THE ROLE OF POVERTY IN THE PREVALENCE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NAPTIP SOKOTO ZONAL COMMAND (2003-2010)