Lagos: The Director-General of GIABA, Mr. Edwin Harris, has called for coordinated, victim-centred regional action to curb the growing menace of human trafficking in West Africa. Harris highlighted that trafficking statistics represent thousands of lives, often children, who are deprived of dignity and opportunity, urging a deeper investigation into the reasons behind the persistence of this crime.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Harris spoke in Lagos during the opening ceremony of the fifth Joint Regional Forum of GIABA and ECOWAS Gender Development Centre. The event, themed ‘Women and Transnational Organised Crime: Human Trafficking Risks in West Africa,’ gathered financial intelligence experts, gender specialists, law enforcement agencies, and civil society actors from across the region.
Harris, represented by Dr. Jeffery Isima, Acting Director of the Policy and Research Directorate, identified poverty and limited economic opportunities as key drivers exploited by traffickers in rural and conflict-affected communities. He emphasized that gender inequality and harmful social norms expose women and girls to sexual exploitation, forced marriage, and other forms of trafficking.
Harris noted that despite existing anti-trafficking laws, weak implementation persists, particularly in prevention, victim support, and cross-border cooperation. He praised the partnership between GIABA and EGDC, describing it as strategic in addressing the financial and social dimensions of trafficking.
The forum also featured comments from the Director and CEO of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, Ms. Hafsat Bakari, who described the forum’s focus as timely and strategic. Bakari highlighted that trafficking is a financially motivated criminal enterprise thriving on weak systems and fragmented responses. Citing data from ILO and UNODC, she noted that forced labour and trafficking generate over $150 billion annually worldwide, with women and girls accounting for over 60 percent of identified victims globally.
Bakari stressed the importance of integrating anti-money laundering and counter-financing tools into national and regional responses to effectively tackle trafficking. She elaborated on the role of the NFIU in supporting the fight through financial analysis, intelligence dissemination, and both domestic and international cooperation.
Furthermore, NAPTIP Director-General, Mrs. Binta Adamu, called for a unified, evidence-based, and gender-responsive approach to dismantle trafficking networks. Adamu emphasized the importance of intelligence-led investigations, enhanced digital monitoring, and victim-centred protection frameworks, alongside stronger inter-agency collaboration at national and sub-national levels.