Nigeria’s Attorney General, Mr Abubakar Malami, says the government is looking to strengthen cooperation on justice reforms with Italy.

Mr Malami had on August 4 held on a meeting with an Italian delegation led by the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Paolo Gentlioni Silveri.

At the meeting Mr Malami stated that the underlying factors attendant to human trafficking, criminality and migration were issues of terrorism and corruption.

A statement by the spokesman for the Attorney General, Comrade Salihu Othman Isah, said that the meeting was part of the final process of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that both countries would sign to strengthen cooperation between their judicial systems.

Malami, who is also the Minister of Justice in Nigeria, emphasised the need for effective cooperation in order to reduce the incidents of human trafficking and other associated crimes.

He explained that unemployment in Nigeria had been a major cause of incessant migration of Nigerians to Italy.

He informed the Italian delegation that agreements between Nigeria and Italy had already been negotiated and was ready for execution in Mutual Legal Assistance, Transfer of Prisoners and Extradition Agreements.

He further urged them to identify the timeline and venue for the execution of the agreements.

The minister expressed appreciation to the Italian Government for its support to its Nigerian counterpart, in particular, as well as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), requesting further assistance to strengthen NAPTIP skills and capacity.

The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation affirmed that they were perfectly aware of the connection between criminality, human trafficking and migration.

He advised that the Attorney General of the Federation could seize the opportunity to decide on the finalisation of the agreements, on the three issues raised at the meeting.

Mr Silveri further stressed that they were in the Ministry to seek collaborative efforts with the Nigerian Government in order to strengthen political, economic relationship between Nigeria and Italy, look at how migration especially, migration through Nigeria, Libya and to Italy

could be managed and how human trafficking could be controlled. (Channels TV)

•Photo shows AGF, Abubakar Malami.

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