Nigeria has teamed up with France and Italy in unveiling a new joint initiative branded the “Common Operational Partnership” (COP Nigeria) aimed at intensifying the fight against human trafficking. The project was officially launched in Abuja to strengthen Nigeria’s battle against trafficking along major migratory routes.
European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, explained that COP’s goal is twofold: to boost the capacity of Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to dismantle trafficking networks, and to protect vulnerable citizens from exploitation.
The partnership embodies a “whole of route” approach involving collaboration with countries of victims’ origin and transit. It builds on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and acts as part of a unified political effort to crush trafficking rings operating across borders.
The French and Italian governments, with support from agencies like the International Center for Migration Policy Development and France’s CIVIPOL, will help strengthen law enforcement, promote data sharing, and coordinate joint operations.
NAPTIP Director-General Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello highlighted Nigeria’s strategic position in West Africa’s migration corridors, addressing evolving challenges such as sexual exploitation, migrant smuggling, and related transnational crimes through this project’s four pillars: joint needs assessment, training, operational support, and geographic focus. The initiative will kick off with pilot states including Cross River, Osun, Katsina, and the Federal Capital Territory, all hotspot areas for trafficking activities.
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