184 arrested in Plateau as security agencies intensify crackdown in human trafficking

Monday, February 9, 2026 -The Plateau State Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce has raided several locations in Jos, where human trafficking, drug abuse and other anti-social activities were allegedly taking place.

Following the operation, which was carried out in the early hours of Saturday, February 7, 2026, 184 persons were arrested and are currently in custody.

Those apprehended included suspected traffickers, recruiters and their accomplices. Among them were 123 adult males, 41 adult females, seven female minors, nine male minors and three pregnant women.

The Plateau State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Daffi, who led the operation, told journalists on Saturday that all those arrested would be properly profiled, and those found culpable would be prosecuted.

“Plateau State Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce executed a surgical, multi-location raid that marks a turning point in our battle against modern-day slavery," he said. 

“I am here to inform you that the operation was an overwhelming success, resulting in several strategic arrests and the rescue of numerous vulnerable citizens who had been trapped in the shadows of societal decay.

“This victory was not a product of chance or mere luck. It was the culmination of rigorous learning and the strategic application of data. We have spent the last several months meticulously auditing our previous operations, identifying where our strategies were brittle and where traffickers found gaps to exploit.

“We have turned those hard-learned lessons and past weaknesses into the bedrock of our current tactical framework. By leveraging data-driven intelligence and resilient tactical planning, the Taskforce has evolved into a more formidable, sophisticated force

“The last night’s success proves that we are no longer just reacting; we are out-thinking and out-manoeuvring the syndicates that mistakenly believed that Plateau State was a safe harbour for their depravity."

He warned owners of establishments and individuals harbouring minors for profit that their “business” is a cancer on the state’s economy, adding that any property used for child prostitution or human trafficking would be shut down and all assets forfeited to the state.

He further stated that the government would also move against parental negligence, stressing that parents who abandon their duty of care and leave their wards exposed to traffickers would be held criminally liable and prosecuted.