EU Hands NAPTIP Digital Interview Facility To Strengthen Human Trafficking Prosecutions
…New complex features audio-visual recording and specialised interview rooms as agency reports 78 convictions since January
By Bukar BOLORI
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has received a modern digital interview facility and operational equipment from the European Union to strengthen investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking and migrant smuggling cases in Nigeria.
The facility, delivered under the EU-funded COP-Nigeria project, is designed to improve evidence gathering, protect survivors and enhance the agency’s capacity to prosecute offenders.
The complex comprises three specialised rooms: a central observation room and two interview rooms fitted with one-way mirrors. It also has audio and video recording capabilities, allowing interviews to be documented for possible use as evidence in court.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at NAPTIP headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, the agency’s Director-General, Binta Bello, described the facility as a significant milestone in efforts to dismantle human trafficking networks.
She said the equipment would help address challenges in evidence collection and preservation while ensuring that survivors are interviewed in a safe and trauma-informed environment.
The Director-General disclosed that NAPTIP had secured 78 convictions since January, expressing optimism that the new facility would further strengthen the agency’s prosecution efforts.
Beyond the interview complex, the EU also provided operational equipment to NAPTIP headquarters and three regional commands.
The equipment is intended to improve officers’ mobility, communication and intelligence-gathering capabilities.
The European Union, alongside its partners France and Italy, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s response to human trafficking and migrant smuggling through international cooperation, intelligence sharing and stronger institutional capacity.
The partners emphasised that addressing the crimes requires sustained collaboration among government agencies, international organisations and other stakeholders.
The handover adds to efforts to strengthen NAPTIP’s investigative and operational capacity, with the new facility expected to support evidence gathering, improve the handling of survivor interviews and assist the prosecution of suspected offenders.
