From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
First Lady of Ebonyi State Chief Mrs Uzoamaka Nwifuru, has warned Ebonyi parents against giving their children and wards to persons outside the state for any purpose except for education and skill acquisition training.
Mrs Nwifuru argued that most of the children taken outside the state were often forced into all kinds of immorality and hard labour for financial gains.
She spoke at the weekend during a street walk organized by the state government in conjunction with the National Agency For Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) as part of activities marking the 2023 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
She disclosed that her office has partnered with NAPTIP and other relevant agencies to checkmate child trafficking in the state and to punish offenders.
The first Lady who blamed poverty and greed as the root causes of Child trafficking, urged Ebonyi parents to take advantage of the free primary and secondary education policy of Nwifuru’s administration to secure the future of their children.
She promised to work with her husband to ensure the empowerment of women and youths so as to reduce the poverty level in the state.
She said “Our children are being used for all forms of outrageous activities outside the state. Some of these activities are very dangerous, and because they are far from home they have nobody to report to. I want to use this opportunity that begs our mothers and fathers in the state to reconsider giving their children out to anybody outside the state except for education and skill acquisition training.
“Going forward, we are going to be hard on anybody found guilty of child trafficking in this state,” she said
In their separate remarks, the South-East zonal commander of NAPTIP, Mr Sam Offia, and the Ebonyi State Commander of NAPTIP, Mrs Bertha Offor, commended the First Lady for joining the fight against child trafficking in the state.
They promised to work harmoniously with the goverment of Ebonyi State to eradicate child trafficking and other related vices in the state.