No fewer than 184 persons have been arrested by the Plateau State Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce following overnight raids across several locations in Jos and surrounding areas.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Daffi, who also chairs the Plateau State Taskforce on Anti-Human Trafficking, disclosed this on Saturday while addressing journalists at the Ministry of Justice Secretariat in Jos.
He described the operation as a breakthrough in the state’s fight against human trafficking and child exploitation.
According to Daffi, the intelligence-driven operation was carried out simultaneously at multiple locations late Thursday night and stretched into the early hours of Friday, leading to the arrest of suspected traffickers and the rescue of vulnerable persons held in exploitative conditions.
He said those arrested comprise three pregnant women, seven female minors, 41 female adults, nine male minors and 123 male adults, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to 184.
All suspects, he added, are currently undergoing profiling, after which those found culpable will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
“Last night and towards the early hours of today, the Plateau State Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce executed a surgical, multi-location raid that resulted in strategic arrests and the rescue of numerous vulnerable citizens who had been trapped in the shadows of societal decay,” Daffi said.
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He said the operation’s success came after months of review, training, and data-driven intelligence, with lessons from past operations closing loopholes used by traffickers.
“We are no longer just reacting. We are out-thinking and out-manoeuvring the syndicates that believed Plateau State was a safe harbour for their depravity,” he stated.
Daffi condemned child prostitution in strong terms, describing it as outright human trafficking and a gross violation of the Child’s Rights Law.
He stressed that the state would no longer treat such cases as social misdemeanours or acts of vagrancy.
“Let there be no ambiguity: child prostitution is slavery. Where a minor is involved, there is no consent. It is exploitation, coercion and a heinous crime against humanity,” he said.
He also warned adults who patronise minors, describing them as predators who sustain the demand for exploitation, and vowed that offenders would face the full weight of the law without the option of fines or lenient penalties.
As part of tougher enforcement measures, the Attorney-General announced the immediate implementation of a ‘seal, seize and demolish’ policy against properties and establishments linked to human trafficking and child exploitation.
He said any facility found harbouring minors for profit would be sealed, its assets forfeited to the state, and structures dedicated to such crimes demolished where necessary.
“We are sanitising Plateau State to ensure that only legitimate and lawful businesses thrive. There is no room in the ‘Home of Peace and Tourism’ for those who profit from the destruction of our children,” he said.
The Taskforce also raised concerns about family complicity and parental negligence, warning that relatives who traffic their own children would be prosecuted.
Daffi added that parents who abandon their duty of care and expose their wards to traffickers would also be held criminally liable.
“Poverty is not an excuse for selling your child or ward into bondage. If you will not protect your children, the State will, and we will hold you accountable for that failure,” he warned.
He reaffirmed Plateau State’s commitment to the crackdown, noting the Taskforce is boosting capacity with training, better infrastructure, and victim rehabilitation.
Sending a message to traffickers and their collaborators, Daffi said the latest operation signalled the end of impunity in the state.
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