The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has announced the rescue of 96 trafficked children from Benue State, with 84 of them successfully reunited with their families.
The update was provided on Wednesday in Makurdi by the newly deployed Zonal Commander of the NAPTIP Makurdi Zonal Office, Mrs. Hembadoom Kuma, during an interaction with journalists.
Kuma revealed that the agency inherited an active investigation into large-scale child trafficking cases in the state, particularly involving more than 300 children reportedly trafficked from Guma Local Government Area in 2025.
She explained that before her deployment, operatives had already rescued 87 children based on intelligence-led operations.
The rescued minors were traced to several states including Abia, Imo, Rivers, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
According to the NAPTIP official, 84 of the rescued children have been successfully reunited with their families after proper identification and documentation.
She added that an additional nine children were recently recovered, bringing the total number of rescued victims to 96.
Efforts are ongoing to locate and rescue the remaining children still in the hands of traffickers.
“We have successfully rescued 96 children and reunited 84 with their families,” Kuma stated.
Kuma warned traffickers to desist from exploiting vulnerable children, stressing that human trafficking remains a serious crime under Nigerian law.
She emphasized that the agency cannot win the fight alone, calling for stronger collaboration with stakeholders including traditional rulers, religious leaders, schools, transport unions, hoteliers, and the media.
According to her, public awareness and community involvement are essential to preventing child trafficking.
The NAPTIP Zonal Commander urged parents and guardians to pay closer attention to their children and report suspicious activities to authorities.
She also encouraged community members to remain alert and support ongoing rescue operations across the state.
“Human trafficking is a collective fight. We all must say no to it,” she said.
