The operation was carried out by the Plateau State Task Force Committee on Human Trafficking.
A coordinated overnight raid on brothels, hotels, and motels across the Jos-Bukuru metropolis has brought renewed attention to the scale of child sexual exploitation and trafficking in Plateau State, with government officials announcing the rescue of dozens of minors from what authorities described as organised and deeply rooted abuse networks.
The operation was carried out by the Plateau State Task Force Committee on Human Trafficking, drawing personnel from the state Ministry of Justice, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Police Force, and civil society groups including NACTAL. All participating agencies were drawn from Plateau State commands.
Details of the raid were disclosed in an official statement published on the verified Facebook page of the Plateau State Government.
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According to the statement, the task force rescued girls aged between 11 and 17, including minors living with disabilities who are deaf and non-verbal, as well as a breastfeeding mother and a pregnant girl. Officials said several of the children were found in hotels and brothels late at night, allegedly after being drugged and sexually exploited by adult men.
The raids covered multiple locations in Jos North and Jos South local government areas, including Jos Hotel, Plateau Central Hotel, Stefans Hotel, Plapoly Hotel, Summit Hotel, Polo De Glit, King Step, Garden Palace, Bolinco, Jossy Royal, People's Hotel, and other facilities around Bukuru and West of Mines.
A mirror of what our society has become
Addressing members of the task force after the operation, the Plateau State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Daffi, described the findings as a stark reflection of wider social failure.
"What we are seeing is a mirror of what our society has become," Mr Daffi said in the statement shared by the state government. "Many of these young people did not choose this path freely. Insecurity, economic hardship, broken homes, and irresponsible parenting have all contributed to pushing them into vulnerable situations."
He urged officers involved in the operation to adhere strictly to the law, stressing that the rescued children should be treated as victims, not offenders.
"These victims are not written off. They still have a future," he said. "No matter the circumstances, we must do the right thing."
Mr Daffi also warned that social status or personal connections would not shield anyone implicated in the abuse of minors. "We do not care whose son or whose father is involved. What matters is doing what is right," he said.
A representative of the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour, Vivien Festus, said the operation was driven by concern for the safety and future of underaged children increasingly exposed to drugs, sexual exploitation, and trafficking.
"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, calling on families and communities to take greater responsibility.
The secretary of the task force, David Yilji, warned hotel and lodge operators that accommodating minors would attract severe sanctions.
"Any establishment found harbouring underaged persons will be shut down by the government," he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the rescued children were undergoing screening to determine their backgrounds and immediate needs, with authorities promising rehabilitation, medical care, and psychosocial support.
A pattern, not an isolated incident
The Jos-Bukuru raid is the latest in a series of child trafficking and exploitation cases uncovered in Plateau State over the past year, suggesting a persistent and organised problem.
On 27 September, the Plateau State Government announced the rescue of 16 children who were allegedly being trafficked from Bassa Local Government Area to Anambra State. The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Caroline Dafur, said the children, aged between four and nine, were intercepted by security personnel while being moved to a motor park for onward travel.
"This rescue represents triumph over trauma, resilience, and hope restored in a world where the innocence of childhood should be protected," Ms Dafur said at the time.
The children were later reunited with their families at a ceremony held at the J.D. Gomwalk Secretariat in Jos, while suspects linked to the trafficking attempt were arrested and slated for prosecution.
Earlier, on 19 January, the Plateau State Joint Task Force intercepted two underaged children from Langtang South Local Government Area who were allegedly being trafficked to Lagos. A female suspect was arrested during that operation.
Confirming the incident, Ms Dafur said the children were intercepted at a Lagos-bound motor park in Jos.
"Underage Tarok children from Langtang South LGA were intercepted at a Lagos park in Jos, destined to be waybilled to Lagos to work for an unknown madam," she said. "Child labour and exploitation is a crime on the Plateau."
Stakeholders raise alarm
Civil society groups have repeatedly warned that Plateau State has become increasingly vulnerable to child trafficking, driven by poverty, displacement linked to insecurity, and weak community safeguards.
In December 2024, the Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society raised alarm over what it described as an expanding trafficking network operating within the state.
Its national coordinator, Oluwafunmilayo Para-Mallam, said a joint operation by security agencies uncovered a syndicate that abducted and sold children from Plateau and neighbouring states.
"On December 2, 2024, acting on credible intelligence, a woman named Nanman Pungtel was arrested in Jos with three children she could not account for," she said. "Further investigation led to the arrest of the mastermind, Pastor Dayo Bernard, in Bukuru."
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According to the group, investigations showed that at least 13 children had been trafficked at prices ranging from ₦350,000 to ₦750,000, with victims as young as two years old.
Plateau within a national crisis
The developments in Plateau mirror a broader national struggle against human trafficking. In May 2025, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons received 78 Nigerian trafficking victims rescued from Côte d'Ivoire, many of them girls and young women.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, said the agency remained committed to dismantling trafficking networks and rehabilitating survivors.
"To those who have perpetuated this evil, let today be a reminder that Nigeria will never relent in pursuing justice," she said during the victims' return to Lagos.
Looking ahead
Plateau State officials say the Jos-Bukuru raids mark the beginning of sustained enforcement actions rather than a one-off operation. Beyond arrests and prosecutions, authorities and advocates argue that long-term solutions will require stronger social protection systems, community vigilance, and economic support for vulnerable families.
For now, the images emerging from hotels and brothels in Jos and Bukuru have forced an uncomfortable reckoning.
As Mr Daffi put it, "What we are seeing is not just crime. It is a reflection of who we are, and what we have failed to protect."
