The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, and Foreign Affairs, as well as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), to develop a comprehensive repatriation and reintegration framework for Nigerian victims of human trafficking in Mali, in line with global best practices.
The House also called on the Federal Ministry of Works to make special intervention provisions in the 2027 budget estimates for the repatriation, rehabilitation, and empowerment of trafficked Nigerian girls.
It further mandated the Committee on Humanitarian Services to collaborate with the Committees on Diaspora, Foreign Affairs, and Justice to:
- Conduct a comprehensive investigation into the current status of Nigerian girls trafficked to Mali and other West African countries;
- Identify challenges hindering coordination among relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) involved in combating human trafficking, and recommend policy reforms to strengthen inter-agency cooperation.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled “Need to Strengthen Repatriation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Trafficked Nigerians from Mali and Other West African Countries”, moved by Tolulope Akande-Sadipe at plenary.
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Leading the debate on the motion, Sadipe said that the House noted that the trafficking of Nigerian girls and young women to Mali and other West African countries, especially for sexual exploitation and forced labour, is on the rise at an alarming rate.
She also noted that trafficking of adults has persisted for over a decade despite efforts by the Federal Government through the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), adding that traffickers, having become aware of enforcement risks, have now shifted attention to children as young as ten years old. She further warned that many of these minors are often sold into brothels or to organ harvesters.
Sadipe further noted that reports from humanitarian organisations, including the National Council of Child Rights Advocates of Nigeria (NACCRAN), indicate that hundreds of Nigerian minors remain trapped in Mali and other West African countries under extremely exploitative conditions.
She also observed that many of the victims were either kidnapped or lured from Nigeria under false promises of legitimate employment.
Sadipe noted that ongoing humanitarian collaboration between NACCRAN, NAPTIP, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the House Committee on Humanitarian Services, and other partners had led to the successful rescue and repatriation of several underage Nigerians from Mali, who were internally displaced upon arrival in Nigeria and have since been reunited with their families through the efforts of the House Committee on Humanitarian Services.
According to her, the House recognises that effective repatriation and reintegration require a multi-agency approach involving medical and psychosocial support, vocational empowerment, and sustainable reintegration programmes to prevent re-trafficking. She therefore stressed the need to assess the effectiveness of ongoing repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration programmes for rescued victims.
She expressed concern that despite Nigeria’s international commitments under the Palermo Protocol, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, coordination gaps, inadequate funding, and bureaucratic delays continue to hinder the timely rescue and repatriation of trafficked Nigerian citizens.
The motion was subsequently referred to the Committees on Humanitarian Services and Foreign Affairs for further legislative action.