The Plateau State government has intensified its fight against human trafficking and child prostitution, following a successful multi-location raid by the State Taskforce on Anti-Human Trafficking, which resulted in multiple arrests and the rescue of vulnerable citizens.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Daffi, described the operation as a significant milestone in combating modern-day slavery during a briefing with journalists in Jos, the state capital. He said the success of the raid was “the culmination of rigorous learning and the strategic application of data,” highlighting the taskforce’s evolution into a data-driven and tactically coordinated force.
Daffi emphasised that child prostitution is a severe violation of human rights and warned that it would no longer be tolerated. “To the adults who patronise these children: you are not ‘customers,’ but predators. You are the demand that fuels this evil trade, and you are as guilty as the traffickers themselves,” he said.
The Commissioner further stated that the taskforce has adopted a zero-tolerance directive toward human trafficking and child exploitation. He warned that any establishment found complicit would face severe consequences, including seizure and demolition of properties. “We are sanitising Plateau State to ensure that only legitimate and lawful establishments thrive,” Daffi said.
Parental negligence was also condemned, with Daffi asserting that parents who fail to protect their children would be held accountable. “If you will not protect your children, the state will, and we will hold you accountable for your failure,” he added.
Daffi concluded that the raid sends a strong message to perpetrators: “The hunters have become the hunted, and you have no place to hide in Plateau State.”
