Ondo First Lady, Mrs. Aiyedatiwa, Champions Anti-Trafficking Campaign; Seeks Stronger Partnership with Immigration.

In a renewed effort to tackle human trafficking in Ondo State, the First Lady, Mrs. Esther Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa, has reaffirmed her commitment to leading an aggressive campaign against the crime.

Mrs. Aiyedatiwa made this known during a high-level visit to the Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), where she held strategic discussions with the State Comptroller, Mrs. Felicia Anara.

The meeting, held at the command headquarters in Akure, focused on strengthening collaboration between the state government and the immigration service. Key areas of discussion included improving border surveillance, enhancing public awareness, and boosting intelligence-sharing to prevent and respond to cases of human trafficking.

Speaking during the visit, Mrs. Aiyedatiwa described human trafficking as a grave threat to the dignity, safety, and future of the state’s youth. She emphasized the need for proactive community engagement and stricter enforcement of immigration laws to protect vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.

She further advocated for increased representation of women in leadership roles, stating that empowering women to participate in decision-making processes could help address the root causes of trafficking and drive impactful policy reforms.

“Women bring a unique perspective to governance, especially when it comes to protecting families and safeguarding the rights of the vulnerable. Elevating more women into public offices is not just about gender balance—it’s a strategic move to fight injustice at all levels,” she stated.

In response, Comptroller Anara commended the First Lady for her advocacy and leadership. She assured that the immigration service remains committed to partnering with the state government to curb human trafficking and associated crimes.

She added that the command would scale up surveillance activities and reinforce enforcement operations to disrupt trafficking networks across the state’s borders.

The strategic engagement is expected to pave the way for more coordinated responses and innovative strategies aimed at ending human trafficking in Ondo State.

Also present at the meeting were senior officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service in the state.