Stories from UNODC Nigeria

World Day against Trafficking in Persons: Nigerian liaison magistrates deployed in Italy and Spain strengthen international cooperation to prosecute cases of human trafficking

30 July 2020: In a need to increase international cooperation between West and Central African countries and Europe to counter organized crime, and notably trafficking in persons, since February 2018 UNODC has been supporting the Federal Ministry of Justice of Nigeria in the deployment of Nigerian prosecutors, first to Italy and then Spain through the  PROMIS project, funded so far by the Netherlands and Italy. On the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, UNODC asked the two Nigerian liaison magistrates to share their experience since their deployment to Italy and Spain and how their role has been fundamental to strengthen international judicial cooperation and to build trust between Nigeria and the host countries. [Read More]

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Nigeria, UNODC, IOM and ARK launch four new projects to fight trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, with the support of Canada and Switzerland

29 July 2020, Abuja - On the eve of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and ARK, with the support of the governments of Canada and Switzerland and jointly with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) launched four new projects to strengthen the response to trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants in Nigeria.

The three projects funded by the Government of Canada aim to strengthen the data and intelligence collection and analysis capabilities of NIS and NAPTIP, enhance border protection and management and bolster effective communications on the risks of irregular migration and trafficking in persons. With the support of the Government of Switzerland, UNODC and NAPTIP will seek to improve the national policy framework against trafficking in persons, through the development of new National Action Plan against Trafficking in Persons for the 2021-2025 period.[Read More]

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Falsified medicines in the wake of COVID-19: an emerging threat for security and public health in Nigeria

24 July 2020 - Under a global operation conducted in March 2020,  INTERPOL reported worldwide seizures of falsified medical products related to COVID-19, including 34,000 counterfeit and substandard face masks, worth 14 million USD. Compared to an earlier operation in 2018, Interpol reported an increase of about 18% in seizures of unauthorized antiviral medication and a more than 100% increase in seizures of unauthorized chloroquine (an antimalarial), indicating a surge in substandard and falsified medical products and unauthorized medication circulating in the market that likely to be connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally, organized criminal groups have adjusted to the opportunities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic to exploit the vulnerabilities and gaps existing in health and criminal justice systems. A recent UNODC research report " COVID-19-related Trafficking of Medical Products as a Threat to Public Health" shows that the sudden increase in demand for medical products to address the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an expansion in the trafficking of substandard and falsified products. Moreover, the pandemic has also highlighted the risks of fraud in the context of public health procurement processes, including advance fee fraud schemes, delivery of sub-standard goods or the diversion of medical equipment and medicines.[Read More]

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