The Plateau State Taskforce on Anti-Human Trafficking has arrested 123 persons involved in human trafficking activities across the state, including two foreigners and three pregnant women. Among the victims rescued were nine male minors and seven female minors.
The Chairman of the Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce, Hon. Philimon Daffi, who is also the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice disclosed this to journalists during a press briefing on Saturday at the Ministry of Justice Secretariat in Jos.
According to the Commissioner for Justice, the taskforce carried out coordinated raids at several locations within the Jos metropolis on Friday night, leading to the significant success recorded.
Hon. Daffi revealed that the suspects include two foreigners and their Nigerian collaborators who have been perpetrating the illegal act within the state. He pledged that the taskforce would dismantle their entire network and rid the state of their collaborators.
Addressing traffickers and their enablers, he stated: “To the traffickers, the recruiters, and the enablers of wrongdoing against our collective future, I say this without mincing words; we are coming for you. You may adapt new ways to evade the law, leverage technology to hide your tracks, or shift your routes, but we remain resolute.”
He further explained that the taskforce had spent several months reviewing previous operations to identify weaknesses and close gaps exploited by traffickers.
“As a taskforce, we are serious and fully committed to achieving our mandate. This government is up and doing. The taskforce is constantly developing its capabilities through experience, specialized training, and advanced infrastructural plans aimed at the rehabilitation of victims,” he added.
Hon. Daffi emphasized that despite the resources deployed by traffickers, the government remains ahead. “You may deploy vast resources in pursuit of your evil, but understand this: we are growing faster than you. We are strengthening the capacity of our members to identify emerging trends in human trafficking.”
He also warned that any property or establishment found harboring child prostitution or serving as a hub for human trafficking would be shut down immediately, with all assets forfeited to the state.
The taskforce confiscated some illicit drugs from the traffickers and destroyed them. The arrested suspects and rescued victims have been handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and necessary action.
