11 rescued, 14 arrested as trafficking ring uncovered in Plateau

Authorities in Plateau State have rescued 11 victims, including eight children, two pregnant women, and a nursing mother, from an alleged human trafficking network operating out of an illegal motor park in Zawan Junction, Jos South Local Government Area.

The operation, which also led to the arrest of 14 persons, including three suspected traffickers, has exposed what officials described as a trafficking ring that had been running for nearly a decade. Victims were reportedly being transported to mining camps in Ibadan, Oyo State, to serve as labourers under exploitative conditions.

The Special Adviser to Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Gender and Chairperson of the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, Olivia Dazyam, who led the rescue, said the minors were being recruited as labourers for mining ponds in Ibadan. She described the arrangement as bonded labour, noting that victims worked six days for their handlers and kept only one day’s earnings for themselves.

Dazyam explained that a chain of beneficiaries shared in the proceeds of the victims’ labour. The victims did not pay for their transport; instead, the cost was deducted from their wages after delivery to the mining communities in Ibadan.

In one case, a parent who arrived at the scene was unaware that two of his children were among those about to be transported.

The illegal park operated only on Tuesdays and Thursdays to evade detection, according to Dazyam. A community member alerted the commission, leading to an investigation. When officials visited the site, they found five vehicles loading passengers for what appeared to be a night journey. After confirming with the transport authority and the road transport workers’ union that the park had no legal registration, security operatives were called in.

One of the suspected traffickers, Emmanuel Dauda, said he was involved in the mining business to earn a living. Asked why he did not operate within Plateau State, which is also known for mining, he said he had no contacts to engage him locally.

The chairman of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers confirmed that registered parks do not permit the transportation of minors.

Dazyam called on residents to report suspicious parks and urged parents to take greater responsibility for their children’s whereabouts, emphasising that community vigilance is key to stopping such operations.