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Trafficking of Cameroonian Child Refugees in Nigeria: NGOs Flay Facebook

Published

3 years ago

January 2, 2020

Popular social media platform, Facebook has been criticised by two Non-Governmental Organisations for the recent allegation that the social media platform is being used as a conduit for the online sale of Cameroonian refugee children in Nigeria.

The Africans Unite Against Child Abuse (AFRUCA) United Kingdom and the Centre for Children’s Health, Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE) Nigeria have criticized Facebook following recent revelations that children especially girls were being trafficked from a refugee camp in Ogoja, Cross Rivers State, Nigeria after being advertised for labour exploitation on Facebook. The NGOs were exceptionally concerned that despite this case being reported to Facebook, it took the online platform hours to take action, thereby putting the victims at further risk of harm.

The NGOs expressed dismay that it took Facebook 29 hours to suspend the account of the suspect, after Sahara Reporters investigator Philip Obaji Jnr, had reported the account (according to the news mediums report), in contravention of the company’s policies of responding to enquiries within 24 hours. According to the NGOs’, based on Sahara Reporters account, this delay allegedly led to the trafficking of another young person, a 13 year old girl to Benue State via the social media platform by the suspect.
Sahara Reporters, one of Nigeria’s leading online publications had, in a recent investigative report, revealed details of a named person who had used his Facebook page to advertise photos of Cameroonian girls fleeing the ongoing conflict in Southern Cameroon’s Anglophone region. This conflict has so far displaced millions of people with several thousand staying in refugee camps across Southern Nigeria. Sahara Reporters had claimed that the victims of the Facebook sale were mostly teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 17 years. In one of the Facebook posts cited, the person had uploaded an image of a girl he claimed was “intelligent, hardworking and about 17,” and asked persons “interested in hiring her as a maid to inbox me.”

The organisations recalled that this would not be the first time Facebook would be accused of enabling child trafficking on its platforms. In 2018, Facebook was severely criticised by NGOs in South Sudan and across the world that its site had been used for the auctioning of a child bride in the country.

16 year old Cameroonian Refugee

Human Trafficking is a growing global problem with over 40 million people at risk, according to the International Labour Organisation. Nigeria is known as a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking victims with over one million trafficked each year, according to the Global Slavery Index. Human trafficking and slavery is illegal in most countries around the world, including Nigeria.

Debbie Ariyo, Chief Executive Officer of UK-based AFRUCA, an anti-child trafficking organisation, said: “It is concerning that social medial platforms are increasingly being used by human traffickers to facilitate the sale of human beings, with little being done to address this. Social media platforms have become the 21^stcentury slave markets. This has to stop.”

17 year old Cameroonian Refugee

Both organisations urged the relevant government agencies in Nigeria to act to secure the well-being of refugee children in the country, and investigate the child trafficking allegations to ensure all perpetrators are brought to book. They also called on Facebook to investigate the case as well as tighten its safeguard mechanisms to ensure that crimes such as human trafficking are completely eradicated on its platforms.
Betty Abah, Executive Director of CEE-HOPE Nigeria said: ‘It appears Facebook has a discriminatory approach to addressing crimes against vulnerable children in Africa than other more advanced parts of the world. I do not believe Facebook would have failed to act if this was happening in a European country”.

AFRUCA and CEEHOPE

January 2020

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BSU Student Found Dead Days After Missing

Published

1 month ago

February 23, 2023

Oche Onu

A 300-level student of Benue State University (BSU), Erekaa Naomi Dooshima, has been found dead few days after she was declared missing.

On Tuesday, Ukan Kurugh, the Benue activist, raised the alarm over the whereabouts of the student.

In a post on his verified Facebook page, Kurugh said her identity card, phone, and blood-stained clothes were found in Markudi, the state capital.

“Missing person: A girl by name Erekaa Naomi Dooshima with her Facebook user name “Affection Erikz” is missing, her clothes stained with blood, her phone, identity card were found around Rahama clinic opposite medical school Makurdi. She is a 300-level mass communication student at the Benue State University,” he wrote.

“If anybody has any useful information about her, please contact the nearest police station or the university authority for immediate action.”

In a follow-up post, the activist said the student had been found dead.

Kurugh said the lady’s corpse was found in a fenced land in Markudi and was exhumed by police operatives.

“The corpse of this young lady by name Erekaa Naomi Dooshima I made a post about her missing yesterday has been found in a fenced land behind Bolek Filling State after medical school and is currently been exhumed by men of the Nigeria Police Force Makurdi Benue state,” he added.

The state police spokesperson, Sewuese Anene confirmed the development.

Anene, however, said there is an ongoing investigation to get more details on the incident.

“Yes, we recovered a lady’s corpse yesterday (Wednesday). But I don’t have much details about her at the moment,” she said.

Source: platformsafrica

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SOUTH-WEST LP DEBUNK FAKE DEFECTION NEWS

Published

2 months ago

February 13, 2023

Oche Onu

South-West LP Debunk Fake News of Leaders Joining APC

PRESS RELEASE

The attention of the Labour Party of Nigeria especially the Ondo State Chapter has been drawn to a purported meeting/defection held at Adegbemile hall, Akure, today Monday 13th February 2023 at noon.
The meeting attended by about a few dozen people alledged that the entire Southwest Labour Party has been merged with the All Progressive Congress (APC) with effect from today. As expected, the meeting was chaired by an expelled Labour Party member, Mr. Banji Omotoso, who was the then caretaker state chairman in Ekiti state from 2017 to 2019.

The Ondo State Labour Party under the leadership of our able chairman Chief (Mrs.) Remilekun Ojo make bold to state as follows:

That the labour party of Nigeria in the Southwest and entire Nigeria remains one and an indivisible party.
That the entire Labour Party of Nigeria has never at anytime and will under no circumstances ever think of merging with any other Party, not even the All Progressives Congress (APC) that has brought untold hardship and suffering to the entire nation.
That the so-called Southwest coodinator Mr. Banji Omotoso was an expelled member of the party, who since January 2020 has ceased to have anything whatsoever to do with our great Party.
That the said Mr. Banji Omotoso was expelled for gross malfeasance and anti-party activities. Therefore he has no authority from any quarters to speak for or on behalf of the Labour Party in Ondo State.
That we strongly make it clear to the general public and well-meaning long-suffering citizens of Nigeria to disregard any information from the said Mr. Banji Omotoso who has since ceased to be our (LABOUR PARTY) member.

Thank you.

Signed ;
Chief (Mrs.) Remilekun Ojo
Ondo State Chairman

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BREAKING: CBN Bows To Pressure, Increases Withdrawal Limit to 500k

Published

3 months ago

December 22, 2022

Oche Onu

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revised its cash withdrawal limit policy, stating that individuals and corporate organisations can now withdraw N500,000 and N5 million respectively within a week.

Platforms Africa reports that the apex bank announced this in a letter dated December 21 and signed by the CBN Director of Banking Supervision, Haruna Mustafa. The letter, which was made available to PlatformsAfrica, was addressed to all deposit money banks and other financial institutions.

“The maximum weekly limit for cash withdrawal across all channels by individuals and corporate organizations shall be N500,000.00 and N5,000,000.00 respectively,” the letter read.

Cash withdrawal above the limits shall be subject to a processing fee of 3 per cent and 5 per cent for individuals and corporate organisations respectively.

According to the CBN, the decision to revise the policy was based on feedback received from stakeholders.

Previously, individuals were constrained to N100,000 cash withdrawals weekly and N20,000 daily while corporate organisations were limited to weekly withdrawals of N500,000.

“Third-party cheques above N100,000 shall not be eligible for payment over-the-counter, while the extant limit of N10 million on clearing cheques still subsist,” the letter added.

The CBN said monthly returns on cash withdrawal transactions above the specified limits should be rendered to the banking supervision department, other financial institutions’ supervision and payments system management departments.