Akwa Ibom Intensifies Anti-Trafficking Campaign As Authorities Raise Alarm Over Child Trafficking

Akwa Ibom State has intensified efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation following growing concerns by authorities over the rising activities of trafficking syndicates, with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) launching a statewide sensitisation campaign as officials warned that children and other vulnerable persons are being trafficked across state borders and through the state’s waterways to neighbouring countries.

The renewed campaign comes amid concerns raised by the Chairman of Ika Local Government Area, Barr. Utibe Nwoko, who said the council’s strategic location, sharing boundaries with Rivers and Abia states, has made it a major transit route for traffickers. He pledged the council’s support for NAPTIP to strengthen efforts to curb the menace.

LEADERSHIP gathered that victims are also moved through the waterways in Oron Local Government Area and Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area before being trafficked to Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon and other Gulf of Guinea countries.

To stem the growing trend, the NOA, Akwa Ibom State Directorate, partnered with NAPTIP to intensify public sensitisation campaigns across the state. The initiative is aimed at educating rural and urban residents on the dangers of illegal migration, forced labour, domestic servitude and child exploitation.

Speaking at the flag-off of the joint sensitisation programme in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State Director of NOA, Mr. Mkpoutom Mkpoutom, lamented what he described as the alarming rate at which young people are being lured into trafficking networks with promises of lucrative jobs abroad.

“The statistics are frightening and the stories are heartbreaking. We are losing our most valuable resources—our children and our youths—to this modern-day slavery.

“The agency cannot sit back and watch. We are partnering with NAPTIP to take the message of prevention to the grassroots, ensuring that every parent and every child understands the red flags,” Mkpoutom said.

Also speaking, the Akwa Ibom State Commander of NAPTIP, Mr. Ubong Ekwere, commended the NOA for its proactive approach, stressing that collaboration remains the most effective way to dismantle organised trafficking networks.

“NAPTIP cannot succeed alone. We rely on the community to provide intelligence and on organisations like the NOA to change the narratives that traffickers use to deceive their victims.

“We are moving from enforcement to a stronger focus on prevention, and this partnership with NOA is pivotal to that strategy,” he said.

Ekwere disclosed that the agency had secured a significant number of convictions in the state in recent times and urged residents to report cases of abuse, forced labour and child marriage through the nearest NAPTIP office or its toll-free lines.

“Let us collectively protect the future of our state. If you see something, say something. Your one call can save a life and reunite a family,” he urged.