Nigerian Government has evacuated 41 Nigerian girls, all victims of human trafficking from Bamako, Mali.
The girls arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos aboard a Hercules C-130 military transport aircraft Monday night.
The evacuation was done through the Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Air Force, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said NAF was asked to bring them back after the government received a distress call to help evacuate the girls.
Dabiri-Erewa said the development was part of the directives from President Muhammadu Buhari, that Nigerians stranded anywhere in the world, should be assisted to return home.
She lamented that many Nigerians were still stranded in Mali but would be brought back home.
The aide further assured that NAPTIP would rehabilitate the returnees.
“We have commenced profiling of the girls. We call on Non-Governmental Organisations to join us in tackling this problem.
“They were deceived into embarking on the journey. We will ensure we train them to the state of proficiency in different vocations, after which we trace their parents and counsel them”, she stated.
She said many of the girls came back with stories of woes, adding that they were evacuated alongside six suspected traffickers.
“We have arrested six suspects and have handed them over to security agencies for prosecution”, she added.
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