The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) officially welcomed 450 secondary school students from 15 different schools as ambassadors against human trafficking and violence on Friday in Delta.

Mr. Sam Offiah, who is the Commander of NAPTIP’s Benin Zonal Command, shared this news during the launch of the second phase of the Schools Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP) at Ute-Okpu, located in the Ika North East Local Government Area of the state.

Offiah mentioned that each club consists of 30 students, making a total of 450 students.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the inauguration happened at several places, including Owa-Alero Secondary-Commercial School, Special Education Centre in Agbor, Ute-Okpu Grammar School, Idunuesah Secondary School, and Umunede Mixed Secondary School, all found in the Ika North East and Ika South LGAs of Delta.

In a statement to the media after the two-day event, Offiah explained that these school clubs were formed to raise awareness among students, who are called vanguards, and are especially vulnerable to the risks of human trafficking and violence in Nigeria.

He noted that during the first phase of the project, 30 students were inaugurated in each of the 10 chosen schools across the state.

He said: “The STEAP project is funded by the Government of the Netherlands and carried out by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in partnership with NAPTIP and the State Ministry of Education.

“At NAPTIP, our goal is to reduce the rate of human trafficking in our communities, especially among school children, as they are often targeted by traffickers.

“To NAPTIP, coming to the school is getting to the grassroots, that students will be well informed about issues of human trafficking and violence against persons in society.

When they see the warning signs, they’ll notify the appropriate authorities, such as councillors, teachers, and the agency, to make sure we assist the victim and catch and penalize the suspect.

Offiah also highlighted that STEAP, a three-year program, is set to conclude in 2027. He noted that NAPTIP has crafted plans to keep the project going.

He mentioned that in addition to the project, the agency will monitor the clubs closely and will extend its message to more schools beyond the 50 chosen for the initiative.

He pointed out that 50 schools have been picked to participate in the STEAP project across each of the five pilot states in Nigeria, including Delta.

“We’re now launching the second phase of the STEAP project in Delta. On Thursday, we kicked off vanguards in three schools, with 30 students in each.

“Also, on Friday, we initiated a vanguard in two schools, with 30 students from each institution.

In this second phase, our goal is to reach 15 schools in the state,” Offiah explained.

He clarified that by the end of the second phase, the agency will have established vanguards in 25 schools, involving at least 750 students.

He reiterated that by the end of the second phase, the agency will have set up vanguards in 25 schools with a minimum of 750 students.

On her part, the ICMPD resource person, Mrs. Ijeoma David-Ukoko, noted that the school clubs are crucial to the STEAP project “to foster peer-to-peer awareness within and beyond their school, educating other students about the dangers of human trafficking in society.”

She expressed happiness that the school’s advocacy project has successfully raised awareness among various groups.

“The two-day event in five secondary schools have reached no fewer than 900 students and stakeholders, equipping them with information about human trafficking and violence against persons in society,” David-Ukoko said.

She also said that all 50 STEAP schools would gain from specific school infrastructure improvement projects tailored to their needs, including areas like solar energy, libraries, boreholes, toilets, books, laboratories, computers, and more.

Speaking on the project, the principals of the various schools thanked NAPTIP and ICMPD for impacting the schools positively, especially the inauguration of anti-trafficking vanguards and establishment of infrastructural projects.

The Principal, Special Education Centre, Agbor, Mrs Ezehi Chukwudi, lauded NAPTIP, ICMPD for providing the school with solar-powered borehole which, she said, had made access to water easier for the special students.

Chukwudi, however, called on the State Government and other well-meaning Nigerians to help employ sign teachers, procure brails, other learning materials, computers and equipped laboratory for practicals to support the special students.

Some students, who spoke in an interview, thanked the agencies for the programme and pledged their resolve to fight against human trafficking as school vanguards and NAPTIP ambassadors.

The highpoint of the events were the inauguration of the students as members of the vanguard and the unveiling of the signpost with the inscriptions “ICMPD -STEAP, NAPTIP Anti-trafficking and Violence Against Persons Vanguard” in each of the schools.

(NAN)