Okoduwa Urges Pupils And Students To Report Those Attempting To Traffic Them
Members of RuthChild Foundation in collaboration with Initiative for Youth Awareness on Migration Immigration Development and Reintegration IYAMIDR were in some secondary schools in Benin City on Monday 12th of July 2021 in their renewed back to school campaign against irregular migration and human trafficking.
The Coordinator and Executive Director, IYAMIDR, Comrade Solomon Okoduwa said they were revisiting schools to reawaken the campaign against the scourge of human trafficking and irregular migration.
He said those who engage in the illicit acts usually take advantage of the students innocence to traffic them abroad for prostitution and other unwholesome activities.
While addressing the students of Ogbe Senior Secondary in Benin City, Okoduwa urged the them to be wary of their close relatives as well as religious leaders who may want to tempt them with various unrealistic promises in order to deceive them abroad for their selfish interest.
The former Senior Special Assistant to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Anti Human Trafficking Issues encouraged the students to focus on their education in order to become better men and women in future.
According to him, those telling you to leave your academics and travel abroad to work there are out to deceive you. What have you learnt now to do there? They could entice your parents with ‘heaven and earth’ in order to lure you; be smart and refuse any of their tempting offers because they want to enslave you there.”
“Many youths, including your age and less have died on their way to Europe and at times their organs such as kidneys and other parts of their body were harvested on their way.
He was however emphatic, “I am not saying travelling to Europe is evil but if you must travel, it must be done the right way.”
“Be suspicious, when they begin to tell you, don’t tell anyone about it, let them know once you get there, or when they begin to shower you with gifts. The madams as they are popularly called could use your parents or close relatives as well as religious leaders to speak to you. Again, I say beware of human traffickers offering promises of greener pastures abroad, don’t hesitate to report them to your teachers, the police, Non governmental organizations to take appropriate actions.
Miss Florence Abu who was trafficked to Europe some years ago and later deported to Nigeria having paid her madam over $40, 000 also narrated her pitiable ordeals to the students.
On his part, a former President of JCI Benin Metro, Osaro Iyamu urged the male students to desist from all activities that could hamper their bright future and warned them not to involve in yahoo-yahoo as many young boys are being recruited into their folds.
Officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps were also part of the exercise.
The high points of the awareness program was the distribution of some cartoon character sensitization materials which has my Future…My hand and SAY NO to human trafficking, SAY NO to Irregular Migration and SAY YES to education
