The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has unveiled a coordinated referral framework designed to improve the protection of vulnerable migrants and victims of human trafficking intercepted at Nigeria’s borders.
According to The Guardian, the initiative seeks to replace the long-standing “catch-and-release” approach with a structured, human rights-based system that prioritises protection, early identification and coordinated support for vulnerable persons.
Under the proposed framework, victims of trafficking, smuggled migrants, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children and other at-risk individuals encountered at border points will be referred to appropriate support services through an inter-agency mechanism rather than being treated solely as immigration offenders.
The initiative emerged from a specialised training programme on a Human Rights-Based Approach to Border Management, held in Sokoto State under the Protection of the Rights of Migrants through Sustainable and Integrated Border Management (PROMIS) Project.
The training brought together representatives of the NHRC, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), civil society organisations and community stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, NHRC Executive Secretary, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, said the programme demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to ensuring that border security and the protection of human rights go hand in hand.
He explained that the Commission, in collaboration with the OHCHR and other partners, has spent the past three years strengthening the capacity of border officials to apply international human rights standards in border management operations.
According to The Guardian, the Sokoto training builds on previous capacity-building initiatives, including the national Training of Trainers programme held in Abuja in 2023, follow-up training sessions in Lagos and human rights assessment missions conducted at the Seme and Idiroko international borders.
Participants at the training agreed on several measures to strengthen institutional coordination, including the establishment of a National Referral Mechanism, designation of referral focal persons across participating agencies, development of a comprehensive referral directory, creation of an inter-agency communication platform and adoption of standard operating procedures for handling cases involving trafficking victims and vulnerable migrants.
The NHRC also introduced a Human Rights Monitoring and Investigation Checklist to improve documentation of alleged rights violations, monitor detention conditions and ensure that migrants are treated in line with national and international human rights standards.
Speaking on behalf of the OHCHR, Esther Michael Sawa commended the collaboration among participating agencies and urged stakeholders to ensure that all interventions uphold the principles of human dignity, confidentiality, non-discrimination and the obligation to “do no harm.”
Stakeholders expressed optimism that the new referral framework would strengthen collaboration among agencies, improve the identification of vulnerable migrants and expand access to specialised protection services across Nigeria.
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