Influential politicians, rich men behind kidnappers, traffickers – Ani

Mrs Anulika Ani is the Anambra state coordinator for the Anti-Kidnapping, Human Trafficking, Drug and Child Abuse Initiative, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to curbing the ills of society. In this interview with EMEKA NZE, Ani explains the modality of the NGO and her passion in for exposing kidnappers, child abusers and traffickers. Interest in the NGO From the onset of the NGO, our major duty is to report cases of human trafficking, child abuse and kidnapping to the law enforcement agencies like the police, DSS and the civil defence corps. Years back the incidents of child trafficking and kidnapping was outrageous in Anambra state, but with the activities of this NGO, it has reduced drastically. In this work, we have gone to so many schools, churches, even mosques, to educate them about the dangers involved in human trafficking, child abuse etc. We also go to interior villages to educate youths of the dangers of drug abuse such as use of Indian hemp, we enlighten them about the dangers involved and most of them are responsible g positively. What motivates you to do the job despite inherent dangers? I am a mother. When you see young girls being molested, they get pregnant, you will see some fake motherless babies homes, they will keep the babies and they will sell them off. So as a mother, you know the pains you go through during child bearing, it is will be unfair and unjust to watch all these things and keep quiet. That’s my major motivation and to discourage the young people who indulge in the use of hard drug from using this dangerous drugs. Specific motivating experiences on this work I knew a couple that were murdered by their own relative and the cause of the killing was said to be after taking Indian hemp, he attacked the couple. The so called suspect was said to have perpetrated the crime under the influence of Indian hemp before he committed the crime. In the issue of child molestation, I also have a sister in-law, the younger brother to the husband allegedly raped the daughter, a child if seven years old and the boy in question was 30 years. I met a couple whom their daughter got pregnant in school and was taking to a fake orphanage home without the notice of the parents and the girl gave birth in the motherless babies home and the baby was sold at a paltry sum of N10,000. As a whistle blower, do you realize the dangers of doing this work? I am not. In this life, anybody can die through any means. The most important thing is for our youth not to engage in such nefarious acts. The conviction that our youths as the future generation should not indulge in kidnapping, drug abuse, human trafficking is what motivates us and it overrides the fear of being killed. It is my personal conviction and that is the only thing that works for me. However, we are calling on the government to try as much as they can to give us protection. Statistics of the incidences handled or reported We have over 20 cases that we have handled and reported to the law enforcement agencies and there is positive results. This issue of justice, the NGO will not do their jobs and that of the police at the same time and ones the NGO is able to report a case, and lead police or the DSS to appropriate venue or crime scene and the person is apprehended, there the job of the NGO ends. The police continue with the matter, whether prosecuted or ended, we don’t normally interfere in those issues because an NGO has a limit we can go in issues of child molestation, kidnapping, human trafficking and other related issues because of what is involved, security-wise and other things. The work of this NGO is very, very challenging and we are also careful who you are handing or reporting a matter to because of betrayals. This is because as we are also blowing whistle to security agencies, we are also cautious of who are dealing with because of betrayals. We also have experience of where people call us back and warn us that we are exposing them and that they will come after us. But it is only God that protects when you bring yourself out to work for society. So we are only asking the government, security agencies- police , DSS, civil defence and so on to do their work, particularly when a matter is handed over to them. We cannot follow them to know where the matter goes, our own is to do the work and leave the rest for them to accomplish. Cooperation of the security agencies The cooperation we have from them is in reporting a case to them and handing the matter to them the matter to investigate and prosecute. So far so good, we don’t have any reason to doubt them particularly the DSS, they have been very good when it comes to handling sensitive issues, they do their best to protect you that give them the job too by keeping the matter to themselves. So we are more relaxed in dealing with the people we trust, so that the source of the information is not exposed and the DSS has been on top of the game and with the police, it’s been good, they have been cooperating but in certain cases we also ask the police to prosecute the cases we hand over to them because issue of child trafficking should not end by extracting an undertaken between the suspect and the families of the victims because that is always the case. Ones it is like that, it weakens us because if we hand over a matter to the police and the police prosecutes, others will learn from that and the cases of will reduce but this issue of arrest today and release tomorrow, you are encouraging more of the crime and suspects will boast that “you can go to anywhere and report and the worst is that we spend money” and this is not too good. So what we are saying is that the police should be up and doing and government should also look into it. The ministry of women affairs and youth development should also do something. That’s why most times if we report something and actions are not taken, we are not usually happy, On the average, the security agencies have been up and doing and they have been very cooperative. Communication with the agencies If you have immediate issues that requires urgent answer, you go to some of them at the top and lay the complaint. They know the urgency it requires. If it is a matter they need to go into vigorous investigation or proper investigation, you put it in writing and send it to them. Even the issue of sending it in writingwe know who we write to but issue of reporting crime, we know where to report. We report crimes verbally. We also use text messages to write to them, we also write as intelligent report. How to ensure that evidence is intact against suspect This is where experience matters in this job. Before you give out information, you will be sure that what you are telling them is there and no other person knows that the information is going out and you won’t let anybody know what you have seen. You keep things to yourself; you investigate matters and in the process you use the information to monitor the suspect and to let the police or DSS know hen to come and when to get what they need. When you report some issues to them before you step out the suspect calls you and says: we learnt you went to the police, I hope you are prepared to produce the evidence. This is the danger. We don’t go to the police and open up everything verbally. We must know who we are talking to, we don’t just walk to the counter and tell people at the counter that so thing has taken place. You know who to go to, at the right time and how to lay the information to ensure that that message doesn’t turn out to be false information. Specific case that backfired One experience I have had was when I reported a suspect in Anambra state. He had so much murder cases and shooting at people. I took up the matter, we tried the police, it didn’t work, we tried government it didn’t work, I was forced to involve the DG DSS from the national headquarters and the state director DSS. The guy was picked up and they effectively handled the matter, they stopped him from carrying guns or machetes or involving in anything security or the vigilante activities. Somehow he got to know and threatened to shoot me and I reported back to the DSS and they called him and detained him and forced out an undertaken from him to ensure my safety. At times some people will threaten you on the phone and say they are waiting g for you. That will create some enmity between you and some of these gang members. Sometimes, you see some heavyweights, maybe politicians, you see some rich men backing them up and they won’t surface but when things happen, they will fight for them underground without you knowing. But as I said one with God is majority. Nobody is paying us for the job. This whistle blowing thing we have not asked for N1 from anybody or security agencies we give the information. We don’t sell information. We are only expecting the state of federal government to say this or that to encourage yourselves.