NAPTIP Denies Allegations That Its DG, Okah-Donli Is In “Unholy Romance” With ‘Child Traffickers’ In Delta

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficked-in-Person (NAPTIP) has denied alleged involvement of its Director-General, Dame Julie Okah-Donli in any child trafficking case where any officials of the Delta State Government was accused.

BIGPEN ONLINE reports that NAPTIP’s denial is coming following series of petitions and press statements by the Committee for the Defense of Human Right (CDHR), Delta State chapter which reportedly accused the State Chief Judge, Justice Marshal Mukoro, Women Affairs Commissioner, Omatsola Williams and some officials of the Delta State Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Asaba.

This also coming on the backdrop of CDHR’s intention to petition the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICCJ) over what they called recurring and malicious act of child trafficking/illegal adoption by the Delta State Government officials and alleged failure of the agency’s DG to act.

NAPTIP in a letter dated 26th March, 2019 with reference NAPTIP/DG/TI/131/T 2A,  signed by Godwin Morka, Director, Research & Program Development for the Director-General, had accused officials of CDHR of making unsubstantiated claims against the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficked-in-Person(NAPTIP) and its Director-General, Dame Julie Okah-Donli.

The agency said CDHR led by Comrade Dr. Kehinde Taiga as Delta State Chairman and one Aghogho Ighorhiohwunu (the Petitioner) were misleading the public with distorted and spurious allegations that NAPTIP was aiding and abetting illegal child trafficking in Delta State.

The agency said that the Director General tour of Edo, Delta and Ondo States with the main purpose of strengthening and setting up of State Task Forces Against Human Trafficking was not informed by any petition but was routine.

According to the statement, in keeping with her mandate, the DG commenced her tour with a visit to Edo State on the 18th March where she met with Governor Godwin Obaseki and trained members of the Edo State Task Force Against Human Trafficking which was set up in August 2017.

Also, according to the statement, she then moved on to Delta State on the 21st March following the same routine of advocacy visit to Governor, Senator Arthur Okowa who in turn inaugurated the State Force Human Trafficking on the 22nd March 2019.

“It must be stated here that membership of the State Task Forces is mainly at the discreation of the State Governors: NAPTIP only advises on inclusion of key stakeholders and institutions. In any case, the Chief Judge of Delta State is not a member of Task Force while the Honourable Commissioner for Woman Affairs, Rev (Mrs.) Omatsola Willaims is not the secretary of the Task Force as claimed in your statement.

“In the instance of the Delta State Task Force, the Director General of NAPTIP was not aware of any petition against the Honourable Commissioner for Woman Affairs, Rev (Mrs.) Omatsola Willaims, until one of the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) at the inauguration brought it up.

“The Director General immediately asked the State Attorney and Commissioner, Mr. Peter Mrakpor to respond to the issue. The Commissioner then told the NAPTIP Director General that his ministry was carrying out an independent investigation on the matter. The Director General there and then told him that NAPTIP would join in the investigation, emphasizing that the matter must not be swept under the carpet. This was a Statement made by the Director General in the presence of other members of the Task Force including representatives of the other law Enforcement Agencies and the public who were present.

“It is therefore very uncharitable to seek to drag the NAPTIP Director General into a matter she knows nothing about and would never support, in view of her antecedent and zero tolerance for anything that has to do with abuse or exploitation of any Nigerian especially children.

“On the general question of NAPTIP’S competence to deal with issues of children adoption, the Agency is very mindful that adoption falls squarely under the purview of state governments. However, the Agency has used the combination of advocacy and stringent law enforcement in cases where children have been taken across state boundaries.

“Since her assumption of office in may 2017, Dame Julie Okah-Donli has stepped up the pressure on states and has indeed used extant provisions of the Trafficking Act to prosecute some cases of illegal adoption as exemplified by the Markudi case which you cited in your press Statement. Indeed, as part of her avowed commitment to addressing issues of Child Trafficking in some orphanages in the State, the Agency is correctly investigating some report of unwholesome activities of three orphanages in Delta State. One operator of such homes has been arrested, and charged to the federal high court, Warri. He is at present in prison custody where he was reminded to by the court.

“Dame Julie Okah-Donli, strongly believes that while State Governments have the right to regulate adoption and frostering, NAPTIP must be given the requisite legal power to regulate cross – border adoptions, and even internal adoptions to ensure that such adopted children are not subjected to any forms of abuse and exploitation by traffickers.

“In the vein, the Agency has proposed the inclusion of Orphanage Trafficking in the ongoing efforts by the National Assembly to amend the Trafficking in person (prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act,2015.

“In the light of the above, we request that you retract portions of your statement that seek to tarnish the patriotic zeal with Dame Julie Okah-Donil has been executing her duties since she resumed as the Director General of the NAPTIP”, the agency said.

But the Committee for the Defense of Human Right (CDHR), Delta State chapter through its State Child Right Coordinator, Comrade Aghogho Ighorhiohwunuand in a swift response insisted that there is an “unholy romance” between officials of Delta State Government and the Director General of NAPTIP which according to them is not in the best interest of Delta State Children and  Nigeria at large.

Giving a chronological details of their claims, CDHR’s said, “That on 26th February 2018, after the present NAPTIP Director –General’s appointment and resumption in office,  CDHR’s State Child Right Coordinator, Comrade Aghogho Ighorhiohwunu operating under the name and style of the Nigeria’s Child Right Movement wrote the Director –General of NAPTIP where the attention of the present Director-General, Julie Okah-Donli was drawn to the Petition titled: Economic and Financial Crimes committed through illegal adoption of children/Child Trafficking ,Abduction and Kidnapping of Children by Officials of the Delta State Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development Asaba.

“That in the said Petition, the Petitioner drew the attention of NAPTIP DG to the missing 50 family courts, 104 assessors and the criminal actions of the Delta Women Commissioner, Rev. Mrs Omatsola Williams and the Delta State Chief Judge, Justice Marshal Mukoro of extra judicially giving out children for adoption, selling adoption forms and collecting money for the purposes of adoption without recourse to the Family Courts in the State which has exclusive jurisdiction on matters relating to adoption process in the state.

“That in the said Petition, the attention of NAPTIP DG was also drawn to missing Delta State adoption register which ought to be under the custody of the National Population Commission containing the names of all adopted children in the state.

“That instead of NAPTIP to address the content of the Petition which was mailed to its Head Office at Abuja, NAPTIP was compromised, misdirected itself, led astray and began to act outside the mandate of its  Powers.

Continuing, they held: “That NAPTIP responded to the said Petition via a letter dated 19th March 2018 with reference number NAPTIP/NLM/782/1 and signed by one Aishatu Ahmed for Director –General, Julie Okah-Donli by referring the Petitioner as follows at Paragraph one : “I am directed to refer to our letter dated 21st June 2016 in respect of the above captioned matter. The letter further states at Paragraph two as follows:  “we wish to reiterate that we had already responded to the issues raised in your letter dated 29th May 2016 stating that you direct your petition to the Delta State Attorney General and Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, as the issues spelt out are outside the mandate of NAPTIP”.

“The letter states at paragraph three as follows “ However, we did not receive a response from you, but rather you re-submitted another letter dated 26th February 2018, having the same facts requesting us to look into the matter. The said letter added that: “in view of the above, we hereby forward a copy of our earlier letter dated 21st June 2016 for ease of reference”.

“That the unlawful idea and concept of NAPTIP of acting outside its power by declining jurisdiction to investigating child trafficking and illegal adoption cases when  suspected criminals and Child traffickers including the Delta State Women Commissioner, Rev. Mrs Omatsola Williams and the Chief Judge of Delta State who are Delta State Government Officials are involved is worrisome, infuriating and vexatious.

“That for instance, NAPTIP’s letter and response dated 26th March 2019 at paragraph ten, NAPTIP agreed to be using extant provisions of the Trafficking Act to prosecute some cases of illegal adoption as exemplified by the Makurdi case which we cited in CDHR’s press statement dated 24th March 2019.

“That NAPTIP further states that the Agency is currently investigating some of unwholesome activities of three orphanages in Delta State and that one operator of such homes has been arrested  and charged to the Federal High Court Warri. He is at present in Prison custody where he was reminded to by the court.

‘That the big question NAPTIP has not answered is whether there is a difference in crime between illegal adoption, child trafficking and human trafficking?
That we agreed with NAPTIP that it is within the purview and jurisdiction of the Delta State Government to carry out legal adoption i.e, an adoption that follows a judicial process which begins and ends in the state Family court as stated in sections 118 through 141 of the Delta State Child Right Law.

“That when the Adoption becomes illegal i.e. where an adoption forms are unlawfully sold, children are extra judicially transferred from one person to another for the purpose of making money, then such adoption amounts to illegal adoption, child trafficking and human trafficking which is now within the mandates of NAPTIP to investigate and prosecute”, the statement added.