The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has reaffirmed its commitment to a rights-based response to trafficking and violence nationwide.

NAPTIP’s director-general, Binta Adamu-Bello, made the pledge on Tuesday at the second steering meeting of the Trafficking in Persons and Violence Against Persons project.

The meeting was organised by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in partnership with NAPTIP, with support from the Netherlands Ministry of Asylum and Migration.

The support falls under the ‘Building an Environment Free of Human Trafficking and Violence Against Persons in Nigeria’ project, attended by Dutch government delegations and key stakeholders.

The Dutch delegation was led by Victor Cramer, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Asylum and Migration, alongside Isabelle Wolfsgruber, ICMPD Nigeria Head of Office.

Ms Adamu-Bello said NAPTIP was ready to consolidate gains from the project’s inaugural meeting in August 2025 and expand its reach to transform lives.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this second Project Steering Committee meeting under the Justice and Security Migration Partnership Programme,” she said.

Ms Adamu-Bello expressed appreciation to the Netherlands’ government for its continued support in strengthening Nigeria’s counter-trafficking interventions.

Ms Adamu-Bello said the meeting would review progress across Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory. She said it would also address emerging challenges, lessons learnt and strategic adjustments needed to achieve the project’s objectives.

The NAPTIP boss said the programme aimed to strengthen investigative and prosecutorial capacity and operationalise the Cybercrime Response Team and standard procedures. 

She added that training referral mechanisms and sustained awareness campaigns had recorded significant progress since the project began in February 2025.

Ms Adamu-Bello described the steering committee as the highest oversight body, ensuring accountability, coordination and alignment with national and international standards.

Mr Cramer thanked NAPTIP for hosting the Dutch delegation and commended the agency’s dedication to protecting vulnerable Nigerians. He noted that Nigerian victims still constituted a significant share of identified trafficking cases in the Netherlands.

He added that strengthened cooperation and capacity building would reduce dangerous migration routes and enhance the joint fight against trafficking.

Ms Wolfsgruber thanked NAPTIP for inviting the Dutch partners to assess ongoing anti-trafficking efforts in Nigeria. She urged the committee to remain focused on achieving project objectives for improved results.

(NAN)