The Plateau State Government has successfully rescued 16 children who were trafficked to Anambra State and reunited them with their families.
The children, from Bassa Local Government Area, were lured with promises of education and vocational training but were exploited for financial gain.
Following the escape of two victims, authorities launched an investigation, leading to the arrest of the kingpin (“madam”) and her agents who allegedly harbored 25 children from Plateau and other states, changed their names and identities to conceal their origins.
Speaking on the rescue of some trafficked children on Satuday, September 27, 2025, the state Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development Caroline Panglang Dafur, said the rescue was a testament to what can be achieved when communities and parents rise together and the government acts decisively to defend the vulnerable.
The commissioner stated that the rescue represented “triumph over trauma, resilience and hope restored in a world where the innocence of childhood should be protected.”
Dafur explained that the children whose ages range from 4 – 9 are from Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State and that they were trafficked from their hometown to Anambra State.
The Commissioner who disclosed that the lady involved has been arrested called on the public to say something when they see something suspicious in order to bring an end to child trafficking in the state.
Also speaking, the wife of the chairman of Bassa Local Government, Miriam Riti, said the local government has put in place measures to ensure the safety of the children by first taking them to the hospital to ascertain their health status, enrolling them in school, and reuniting them with their parents.
Mrs. Riti explained that the local government has engaged community leaders to work towards ensuring the well-being of the children through monitoring their presence in the community.
A parent, Mrs. Asabe Agidi appreciated the government, the commissioner and Bassa Local Government for the rescue of the children, among whom was her daughter.
She said as a widow, she was happy when her daughter was picked, thinking it was for good, not knowing it involved trafficking, and promised to care for her child with the little she has.
The children were handed over to the wife of Bassa Local Government Chairman, Mrs. Miriam Riti, by the commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, at the J D Gomwalk Secretariat, Jos.
