The Director-General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Ms Julie Okah-Donli said the agency has engaged the services of witch doctors in Edo State as ambassadors to assist in the fight against human trafficking. Ms Julie Okah-Donli stated this on Monday at a symposium organized by the agency in Abuja. She said findings by the agency revealed that Edo state has the highest number of traffickers and victims of human trafficking in the country.
She stated that the research also revealed that witch doctors were involved or used in the trafficking of persons to Europe. According to her “When we gathered these witch doctors recently to sensitise them on what human trafficking victims go through in Europe, they were shocked.
“And they have made their commitments to work with us to fight the menace of human trafficking,” she added.
She disclosed that the agency had perfected plans to sensitize and engage more local witch doctors in the state and other parts of the country to assist the war against trafficking in persons.
She said the involvement of witch doctors by traffickers was for the purpose of oath taking noting that some rituals are usually performed using the victim's urine, pubic hair, fingernails, eyelashes, menstrual blood, underwear and other personal effects.
