Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called on the Italian government to take stronger action against the demand for victims of human trafficking, arguing that efforts to combat the crime must address those who exploit victims as well as the networks responsible for recruiting and transporting them.
Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, made the call during a Senate plenary discussion on human trafficking and the need for greater cooperation between Nigeria and Italy. He recounted a conversation in which an Italian ambassador allegedly told him that Italian men could not resist Edo women.
According to the senator, the remark came during discussions about tackling human trafficking, particularly the exploitation of Nigerian women abroad. Oshiomhole said he had urged Italian officials to discourage people in their country from patronising trafficked women rather than concentrating only on the Nigerian communities from which victims originate.
The former Edo State governor explained that the Italian Parliament had expressed willingness to provide technical assistance to Edo State to address the supply side of the problem. However, he argued that efforts would remain incomplete if the demand for exploited women was not addressed simultaneously.
Oshiomhole maintained that trafficking could not be effectively tackled by focusing exclusively on the countries and communities from which victims are recruited. He called for stronger action against individuals and organised networks that create demand for exploitation, insisting that responsibility should extend across national borders.
He also referred to Edo and Akwa Ibom states in discussing the Nigerian side of the problem, arguing that local authorities could strengthen prevention efforts if destination countries took comparable action against those who exploit victims.
During the Senate discussion, Senate President Godswill Akpabio asked Oshiomhole whether he had tried to establish what Italian men found attractive about Edo women. Oshiomhole responded humorously that he had not pursued the question because he was a happily married Catholic.
Beyond the exchange, the discussion highlighted the need for practical measures to prevent trafficking, investigate criminal networks and protect people vulnerable to exploitation. Human trafficking involves coercion, deception or other forms of exploitation, and addressing it requires more than focusing on the movement of victims across borders.
Nigeria has faced longstanding concerns about the trafficking of women and girls to foreign countries, including for sexual exploitation. Tackling the problem requires cooperation between law-enforcement agencies, effective investigations, support for survivors and measures to prevent vulnerable people from being recruited by traffickers.
Oshiomhole’s remarks also raised questions about the responsibilities of destination countries. While Nigerian authorities have a role in preventing recruitment and prosecuting traffickers operating within their jurisdiction, authorities abroad must also investigate and prosecute those who exploit victims and help sustain trafficking networks.
The senator warned against allowing international discussions to place the burden entirely on Nigerian communities while overlooking the people and criminal organisations that profit from exploitation. He called for a coordinated response that addresses both recruitment and demand.
The wider challenge for Nigeria and Italy is to turn such discussions into practical action through information sharing, cross-border investigations, prosecution of offenders and rehabilitation support for survivors. These measures would help ensure that efforts to combat trafficking focus on those responsible for exploitation rather than stigmatising the communities from which victims come.
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