TheCable

The United Kingdom government says it will spend £7 million to fight human trafficking, which it described as modern slavery, in Nigeria.

Priti Patel, international development secretary, made this known on Thursday when she visited a Lagos safe house where victims of trafficking rescued from Libya and Europe, are housed by the National Agency For Prevention of Trafficking in People (NAPTIP).

After speaking to young women and girls who narrated their experiences of enslavement and torture, Patel announced that Britain would spend £7m on anti-trafficking in Nigeria.

DfID is yet to decide where exactly the money will be spent, though Patel said that she expects other countries and the Nigerian government itself to do more.

Recently, Josiah Emerole, NAPTIP’s head, press and public relations, announced that the federal government had approved a whistleblowing policy for the fight against human trafficking.

He said the policy became necessary to encourage people to provide information to the agency without fear of the consequences.

Encouraging people to give verifiable information, he said NAPTIP is working on the reward modalities for informants, adding that the laws against human trafficking would protect them.

The International Labour Organization estimates the global trade in people generates $150 billion of illegal profits a year.