The Plateau State Government has expressed concern over the rising cases of human trafficking following the rescue and return of three young women who were allegedly trafficked to Mali and forced into prostitution.
The victims were handed over by the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation to officials of the Plateau State Liaison Office in Lagos on Sunday for onward rehabilitation and reintegration by the state’s Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission.
The victims, identified as Victoria, 23, from Delta State, and Joy and Janet, both 22 and 23 respectively from Plateau State, recounted how they were lured with promises of legitimate employment but ended up in sexual exploitation in Mali.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Special Adviser to the Governor Caleb Muftwang on Gender Matters and Executive Secretary of the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, Olivia Dazyam, said the state was increasingly worried by the growing menace of human trafficking, particularly among vulnerable women and children.
According to her, many young Nigerians searching for better opportunities are being deceived by traffickers posing as recruiters and benefactors.
“As a Commission, we felt it was necessary to rise to the occasion to address these issues by protecting the human rights of our people, especially women and children,” she said.
Dazyam noted that prevailing economic challenges had made many families more vulnerable to exploitation, with traffickers using false promises of jobs, education and a better life abroad to lure victims.
She warned parents against entrusting their children to strangers, saying many victims end up in forced labour, sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse.
“We constantly educate our people that they should never hand over their children to strangers or unverified agents under the guise of offering opportunities,” she said.
She added, “Parents cannot abdicate their responsibilities. When children become vulnerable and begin seeking help on their own, traffickers take advantage of them, moving them outside the state and even outside the country, where they are exposed to unimaginable exploitation.”
Dazyam commended local and international partners for supporting the rescue of trafficked victims and facilitating their safe return.
She also praised the Plateau State Government for prioritising the rehabilitation and reintegration of rescued victims.
“There is nothing good about human trafficking. Its sole purpose is exploitation,” she said.
The Commission’s executive secretary disclosed that rescued victims are provided with counselling, psychosocial support and empowerment programmes to help them rebuild their lives, while efforts are ongoing to identify and prosecute traffickers and their collaborators.
She stated that the state government has pledged to intensify public enlightenment campaigns and strengthen collaboration with security agencies, civil society organisations and development partners to prevent more Nigerians from falling victim to human traffickers.
Speaking on the rescue operation, the Founder of GAHTO, Prosper Michael, said the intervention began after the organisation received information from a partner in Jos regarding two young women reportedly being held in sexual captivity in Mali.
According to him, details supplied by the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission enabled the organisation to establish contact with the victims and coordinate their rescue.
“This rescue demonstrates what collaboration can achieve, but thousands of Nigerian girls are still being held in sexual captivity across West Africa. We need stronger partnerships if we are to dismantle these trafficking networks and rescue more victims,” Michael said.
Recounting her ordeal, Victoria said she accepted an offer of employment abroad only to discover that the job was prostitution.
“I was told there was a job, but nobody told me it was prostitution. I could not do it, so I asked to return,” she said.
The 23-year-old, an orphan and mother of a five-year-old daughter, appealed for support to establish a business and provide a better future for her child.
Another victim, Joy, said she had been working as a domestic worker in Lagos before being introduced to a man identified as Kingsley, who promised her employment in a restaurant in Mali.
She said she and another victim later discovered they had been sold into a prostitution ring.
“I refused because that was not what I was promised. They kept threatening us and said we had to work until we paid back the money they claimed to have spent on us,” she said.
Joy alleged that their phones and documents were confiscated and that they were subjected to intimidation, assault and threats while receiving only one meal a day.
She said she eventually regained access to her phone, contacted her family and was rescued after anti-human trafficking advocates intervened.
Janet also narrated how she accepted the offer after becoming stranded in Lagos, only to be instructed to engage in prostitution upon arriving in Mali.
“I told them I would rather die than do prostitution. That was not why I travelled,” she said.
She urged Nigerian youths to verify overseas job offers before embarking on such journeys.
“Most of the jobs they promise are not genuine. Young people should investigate properly before travelling anywhere,” she cautioned.
