EXAMINING THE ADEQUACY OF PROVISION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING LAWS IN NIGERIA
Habiba, Adamu and Adamu, Mahmud Ibrahim Ph.D
Volume 3 Issue 3
Abstract
The study examines the adequacy of the provision of Human Trafficking laws in Nigeria. The delay in investigating and prosecuting trafficking in person cases has become worrisome and undermines the fight towards eradicating the menace. The main objective of this paper is to examine the adequacy of the provision of Human Trafficking Laws protecting citizens in Nigeria. Other specific objectives includes; to assess the significance of prosecution of Human Trafficking cases in Nigeria; to determine the significance of the rehabilitation of Human Trafficking victims in Nigeria; to assess the adequacy of Criminal and Penal Codes provision in the fight against Human Trafficking in Nigeria. The study adopts Secondary sources of data collection and employed qualitative method in comparing the data collected. Human trafficking is a major global challenge confronting the world today. This ugly development pervades nearly all African countries including Nigeria. The study was anchored on Rational Choice Theory which explains that criminals, like traffickers, choose to commit crimes. They aim to obtain the maximum rewards possible, while avoiding any legal consequences. In recognition of the fact that human trafficking is not only a violation of human rights but a crime that is against all laws, efforts have been severally made by bodies at both domestic and international levels to contend with this insolent and dehumanizing practice. Finding for this study reveals that the Human Trafficking laws are not adequate enough to contain the scourge. To this end, the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003/2005, the Child Rights Act, 2003/2005, were enacted in addition to extant laws of different states dealing with Trafficking in Persons. This work, therefore, is a modest attempt at assessing the efficacy of these various legal regimes in curbing the menace in Nigeria. To this end, the researcher have carefully x-rayed the strength and weaknesses of the various legal regimes and made suggestions on how to better tackle the scourge of human trafficking. The work ends with the recommendations on the need to overhaul the legal regimes and its enforcement mechanisms. Keywords: Institutional Framework, Combating Human Trafficking, Nigeria
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