By Lucky Isibor
The Executive Director of Uromi Justice Development and Peace Caritas Initiative (JDPCI), Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Fidelis Arhedo has called for the adoption of Community Policing model in combating human trafficking, noting that the menace is a complex and organised crime which is executed with the same precision as terrorism and arms trafficking.
Father Arhedo made the call while giving his remarks at the opening of Uromi JDPCI’s annual meeting with community and religious leaders, and security agencies as part of activities marking the 2025 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, with the theme, “Human Trafficking is Organised Crime”; held on 29 July, at the Uromi Catholic Dioceasean Chancery at Uromi.
The Uromi JDPCI Executive Director noted that the community policing model will enhance the trust and open communication of the police with religious and community leaders in intelligence gathering and early detection of cases of human trafficking, adding that traffickers are not only researching on how to beat all existing security measures, but are also deploying digital tools to evade these measures.
While outlining the roles of community and religious leaders in combating human trafficking, Fr. Arhedo emphasised the importance of collaboration with security agencies which will be led by the police as according to him their presence in all communities and villages offers unique advantage, adding that their efforts should be victim focused.
“This year’s theme, “Human Trafficking is Organised Crime,” captures the reality we must now fully confront: trafficking in persons is no longer limited to isolated acts of exploitation. It is systematic, transnational, profitable, and complex, often executed with the same precision as terrorism or arms trafficking. It thrives where poverty, conflict, corruption, and weak institutions intersect.
“To defeat this organised crime, our response must likewise be organised, integrated, and value-driven. This is why today’s forum brings together diverse actors—faith leaders, traditional rulers, law enforcement officers, civil society actors, and public officials—because no single institution or sector can win this war alone.
“Faith communities wield significant moral and spiritual authority. In our churches, mosques, shrines, schools, and religious homes, we have daily access to the minds and hearts of our people.
“We must use homilies, sermons, catechesis, youth formation, and counselling to consistently denounce human trafficking and affirm the inviolable dignity of every human being. Our churches and religious houses must become safe havens and healing spaces for survivors of trafficking, offering psychosocial, spiritual, and vocational support. We must promote solidarity through interfaith and ecumenical collaboration, working across religious divides to form a united front against exploitation and abuse.
“Traditional leaders, youth representatives, and women’s groups hold unique access to grassroots structures and local culture.
You are the gatekeepers of social norms and can help identify traffickers early, especially when they operate under the guise of agents or recruiters. There must be a zero-tolerance stance on silence or complicity, especially when traffickers are known or connected to influential families.
“Community vigilance groups, created in partnership with security and civil society, can monitor vulnerable areas, report threats, and protect high-risk individuals—especially adolescent girls and unaccompanied minors.
“The Nigeria Police Force, NAPTIP, NSCDC, and the Nigeria Immigration Service are legally mandated to combat human trafficking. However, to truly be effective, their efforts must be: Transparent, accountable, and free of compromise. Officers must resist corruption and ensure that traffickers, regardless of their status, are brought to justice.
“Investigations, rescues, and prosecutions must be carried out with sensitivity and respect for victims’ rights, avoiding re-traumatisation.
“There must be ongoing partnerships with religious and community leaders, especially in remote and underserved communities where trafficking often begins.
“The presence of police officers in all village communities in Edo State offers a unique advantage. While it is true that many officers may lack the specialised training that NAPTIP staff possess, they remain the first line of defence in rural and semi-urban settings.”
While calling for action from all stakeholders, Fr. Arhedo sued for synergy and collaboration in the realisation that collective action is more effective and recalled the words of Pope Francis, “In the powerful words of Pope Francis, “Human trafficking is an open wound on the body of contemporary society. A scourge upon the body of Christ. A crime against humanity. Let this commemoration renew our resolve to heal this wound—to rescue, rehabilitate, and reintegrate victims—and to uproot the networks that profit from human misery.
“May we leave here committed to action, not just awareness. May we stand as watchmen and women over our communities, ensuring that no child, woman, or man is reduced to an object of trade.”
In a goodwill message on the occasion, a Christian cleric, Archbishop Anthony Okosun pointed out that local trafficking in persons from other states to Edo State and from the state to neighbouring States is now thriving and called for vigilance.
While commending Governor Monday Okpebholo for returning schools to missionaries, Chief Hillary Ekhoye, the Iyasele of Igueben noted that the development will restore morality to schools and appealed to religious leaders to be using their homilies in condemning human trafficking.
Chief Patrick Ebason, an African Traditional Religious practitioner, called for continues engagement of traditional religious practitioners, as according to him, without them traffickers are in for losses, noting that there will be no oaths binding victims on repayment, adding that they, the practitioners at Uromi have for a long time outlawed administration of oaths for traffickers and their prospective victims.
On his part, the Chief Imam of Edo Central, Mallam Yunusa Usman called on affluent Nigerians who are investing outside Nigeria to invest in the Country to create employment for the youths which according to him will curb human trafficking.
In a Keynote presentation, the Keynote Speaker, Chief Suprintendent of Police (CSP) Oluku Othuke Daking, the Divisional Police Officer in Charge of Uromi Police Division, called for collaboration between community leaders, religious leaders and the police and other law enforcement agencies in the war against human trafficking.
CSP Otuke pointed out that 95 percent of the population are unwittingly involved in human trafficking or aiding and abetting the crime, adding that ignorance is not a defence in any criminal matter.
The police officer enumerated the various ways people are involved in human trafficking to include hiring of underage house helps and the mode they were procured, preventing victims and their parents from reporting traffickers to law enforcement agents under the guise that the traffickers and victims are related, adding that human trafficking mostly involve relatives.
Participants cutting across the various faiths, including Christians, Muslims and Africa Traditional Religious practitioners and community leaders attended the meeting and they all gave their commitment to carry the message to their various places of worship and communities respectively.