The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has fired five of its employees for various offenses, including a Deputy Director.
NAPTIP spokesman Adekoye Vincent revealed this in a statement on Wednesday.
The offence include corruption, demanding and receiving bribes from suspects and relatives, leaking confidential information to suspects that endangered the lives of colleagues, violating the oath of secrecy stealing and altering official records, and being absent without official leave, according to the communiqué.
All of these offenses are in violation of the Public Service Rules and other existing laws and regulations.
Two additional police were reduced by two ranks for seeking a bribe from a human trafficking suspect, and one officer was demoted by one rank for dereliction of duty.
The disciplinary proceedings were approved by the Agency’s Governing Board at its meeting on May 25, 2023. At that meeting, the Board evaluated and approved the decision of the Agency’s Senior Staff Committee (SSC), which had previously met to discuss disciplinary concerns in line with the Public Service Rules and other applicable laws and regulations.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Sokoto has convicted and sentenced a law enforcement officer to jail. He was convicted on a two-count trafficking charge, in violation of section 26 (2) of the trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act (2015), and sentenced to five years in prison on each count.
