Unongu Shares Mind

Feet and Tricks International, organisers of the first ever African Football Freestyle Championship in Africa has named two Human Trafficking Ambassadors, former professional English footballer, John Fashanu and Superstar Actress, King Tonto Dikeh as Brand Ambassadors for the 2018 Championship. Other notable Nigerians named as envoys are Former Nigerian defender and former Head of Lagos State Football Association, Waidi Akanni; former Super Eagles Coach, Samson Siasia, and Superstar actress, Kate Henshaw. All with enviable careers and celebrated globally are undoubtedly a perfect representation of the sporting excellence the brand stands for. Confirming this, Chairman, Feet ‘n’ Tricks International, Valentine Ozigbo, noted that ” Feet ‘n’ Tricks is on a mission to making Africa the home of freestyle football and providing a new platform for self-expression of skills in order to ultimately exploit the global appeal of the sport. It is hoped that, Ambassador...

A United Nations migration official called Thursday for Facebook to police its site and its WhatsApp messaging subsidiary for use by abusive human smugglers. Leonard Doyle, director of media and communication at the UN International Organization for Migration, said that Facebook and WhatsApp have become the media of choice for people smugglers in the Middle East and Africa to advertise their services and make arrangements with migrants. But many of those groups abuse migrants, taking travelers hostage and beating them to demand ransoms from their families, he said. As it now blocks violent jihadist groups like Islamic State from promoting itself on Facebook pages, Facebook should police people smugglers doing the same thing, Doyle said in an online discussion hosted by Refugees Deeply, a migration-focused media group. “They have turbocharged the access to smugglers,” he said. “Big tech companies have a huge responsibility that they are not living up to.” Sm...

PRESS RELEASE Man, 57 Yrs Bags 10years Imprisonment For Human Trafficking ... To Also Pay N1million Fine A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has sentenced one Yusuf Umar, 57years old to 10 years imprisonment for Human trafficking offences. He is to also pay a fine of N2, 000,000.00 (Two Million Naira) only. He is to also spend additional 2 years in prison if after the 10 years jail he is unable to pay the N2, 000,000.00 fine. Umar who hails from Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State had procured for himself a 14 year old girl from the same State and sexually exploited her. The offence is contrary to Section16 (1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015. The Section says, ‘’Any person who procures or recruits any person under the age of 18 years to be subjected to prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation with himself, any person or persons, either in Nigeria or anywhere else, commits an offence and is liable o...

PRESS RELEASE NAPTIP, British and Spanish Operatives Burst EIYE Confraternity Human Trafficking Gang ... Rescues 39 Victims of Sex Exploitation in Spain Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), National Crime Agency (NCA) of the British Government and Guardia Civil, the Spanish Law Enforcement Agency have in a joint operation disrupted activities of a Nigerian organised crime gang, Eiye Confraternity in Spain. 39 women victims of sexual exploitation were rescued in the operation. The international investigation into the organised criminal network  began when a victim made a report to the Spanish authorities, detailing how she arrived in Spain along with a number of other girls. The victims, all Nigerian nationals, and many under the age of 18, are believed to have undergone ‘Voodoo-Juju’ rituals in Nigeria to coerce them if they did not comply with orders given by the gang leaders. They were then moved by boat to Lib...

In what appears an indictment of the federal government, a cross section of Libyan returnees from Edo state has said more Nigerians would continue to flee to Libya in spite of the sufferings  and torture associated with such trips except governments at all levels become more responsive to the yearnings of the youth. Accusing the government of being the major stimulator of  such dangerous journeys, the returnees said if elected public officials fulfilled even half of their electioneering campaign promises, the number of irregular migrants from Nigeria would reduce drastically. They consequently advised international humanitarian agencies, particularly the United Nations Migration Agency, the International Organization for Migration IOM as well as the European Union EU against routing their projects through the Nigerian Government, lamenting that such lofty gestures hardly ever get to the intended beneficiaries. They spoke in Benin-City, Edo state at a ceremony organized b...

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has suspended two officers, Araoyinbo Oluwadare and Gabriel Awosanmi, for allegedly aiding and abetting human trafficking. Spokesman of the agency, Mr Sunday James, said yesterday that Oluwadare, a Senior Inspector of Immigration, and Awosanmi, an Immigration Assistant 1, were arrested at the Lagos international airport on Thursday night. They allegedly facilitated an attempted trafficking of six underage girls to Oman and Kuwait through an Ethiopian Airlines flight. Aviation security personnel at the airport apprehended the duo. James said: “The Comptroller General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede, has ordered the suspension of the above- mentioned from duties with immediate effect in line with Service Rules and Regulations. “The suspension is to allow for detailed investigation into the issue with a view to unraveling their level of culpability and indeed other syndicates involved in the act. “The comptroller-general...