TRANSNATIONAL CRIME, HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA’S OILRICH NIGER DELTA

Despite its immense endowment in human and natural resources, Nigeria’s Niger Delta has been socially and ecologically degraded for centuries by international crime and human rights violations. External perpetrators were involved in unequal trade, trans-Atlantic slave trade, colonialism, and imperialism/neoliberalism. Some evidences of the perpetuation of these crimes in Nigeria during the post-independent period include the emasculation of the Niger Delta region through marginalistic-discriminatory government policies complemented by indigenous misrule/spoliation characterized by elite criminal stealing large portions of public funds (at an average earnings of US$20 billion from the 1970 s to the time of this study) to stash away in foreign bank accounts. The latter combines with series of historical violations of human rights, international crime and the Delta’s cultural violation of women-girls’ rights to own/inherit property (embedded in the region’s traditional ruling institutions) to engender chronic poverty of masses of Niger Deltans/Nigerians. Overwhelming poverty compels Delta girls/women to resort/succumb to human traffickers for sex work, among other modern slavery methods. Reduction/elimination of human rights violations and human trafficking require implementation of good governance capable of reforming cultural practices/beliefs and modern government invasive practices.