The Plateau State government on Tuesday, December 30, carried out massive raids on some brothels and hotels along the Jos-Bukuru axis, where dozens of teenage girls who were forced into prostitution were rescued and evacuated.
The coordinated raids were carried out by the Task Force Committee on Human Trafficking, alongside officials from the Plateau State Ministry of Justice, NAPTIP, Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Immigration Service, Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, and the Nigeria Police Force.
The overnight raid also saw the rescue and evacuation of drug addicts and criminal elements who use the hotels as their operational base.
While briefing journalists on the raid, the Chairman of the Committee and Plateau State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Barr. Philemon Audu Daffi, described the situation as a painful indictment of societal failure.
Daffi said some of the sex slaves are as young as 11 years old and were coerced into the act against their will.
“Some of the girls are as young as 11 years old. This can tell you the kind of moral decadence we are now experiencing in Plateau State,” the official said.
“The well-coordinated raid across the Jos-Bukuru metropolis uncovered a harrowing network of sexual exploitation, leading to the rescue of dozens of minors. It also revealed deep societal ills now prevalent in this state and we will not allow that to continue.”
He stated that among those rescued were girls, including persons living with disabilities (deaf and non-verbal), a breastfeeding mother, and a pregnant woman.
Preliminary findings indicate a pattern of minors being drugged and exploited, often late at night in environments where they should not be.
“What we are seeing is a mirror of what our society has become. Many of these young people did not choose this path freely. Insecurity, economic hardship, broken homes, and irresponsible parenting have all contributed.
“I will urge the Task Force to act with fairness and conscience and should not write off the rescued victims as they still have a future,” Daffi said.
Also speaking, Chairperson of NACTAL in the state, Mrs Vivien Ebere Festus, highlighted the primary concern for the lives and futures of the rescued sex slaves and called on parents and guardians to take greater responsibility for their wards.
“These are children who should be in school, under the care of their parents, not roaming the streets at night and being exploited,” she said.
On his part, Secretary of the Committee, David Nenfort Yilji, warned hotel operators that any establishment found harboring minors would be shut down and expressed confidence that the intervention could redirect the lives of the rescued victims.
