The Plateau State Government says no fewer than 186 suspects were arrested during a coordinated overnight anti-human trafficking operation carried out in Jos, Plateau capital on Friday night and the early hours of Saturday.
Addressing Journalists on Saturday in Jos, Philemon Daffi, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and Chairman of the Plateau State Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce, described the multi-location raid as a turning point in the fight against modern-day slavery in the State.
He said the operation led to the rescue of several vulnerable victims and followed months of intelligence gathering, strategic review and improved tactical planning by the Taskforce.
Daffi stressed that the government would no longer treat child prostitution as a social issue, declaring, “Child prostitution is human trafficking. It is a grave violation of human rights that this administration will no longer view through a lens of societal issues”.
The Attorney-General announced the immediate enforcement of a “seal, seize and demolish” policy targeting properties used for trafficking and child exploitation, warning that any establishment found complicit would be shut down and its assets forfeited to the state.
He also warned parents and relatives against complicity or negligence, noting that families who traffic or fail to protect their children would face prosecution under the full weight of the law.
Reaffirming the State’s resolve to intensify the crackdown, Daffi warned perpetrators and their collaborators that authorities would sustain enforcement, declaring, “The hunters have become the hunted, and you have no place to hide in Plateau State”.
