BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto –
A fire outbreak on Saturday afternoon has razed down the Sokoto Zonal Command office of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in persons (NAPTIP).
The fire according to eye witness account started from the shelter section of the office and extended to other offices.
Confirming the incident, Hajiya Hassanah Mikailu, the Public Relations Officer of the Command said the scenario was very devastating.
While stressing that no life was however loss to the infernor, Hassanah noted that they have some survivors at the shelter who all escaped unhurt.
A reliable source from NAPTIP who preferred anonymity, said they are suspecting the cause of the fire to be electrical fault.
Commenting on the sad development, Malam Isa Tudun Wada of Sokoto State said the news came to them as a great shock.
This according to him was in view of the fact that all hope of securing justice for victims of Gender Based Violence, (GBV), Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) as well as Harmful Practices (HP) within Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara largely depends on NAPTIP.
Another concerned indigene from Kebbi State, said the cause of the fire should not only be investigated urgently, but also appealed to the Sokoto State government to provide a temporary place for the agency, until the Federal Government gets another office for NAPTIP as urgent as possible.
On his part, the chairman of Sokoto State GBV Response Team, Rabiu Gandi, who lamented over the incident, said NAPTIP remained a reliable partner in the state’s effort towards curbing crimes against humanity in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States respectively.
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