The Benue State Government has successfully rescued two schoolgirls from a suspected human trafficking ring operating in the North Bank area of Makurdi, the state capital.

The operation was led by the Principal Special Assistant to the Governor on Human Trafficking and Child Labour, Hon. Emmanuel Iorhemba Anundu, following a tip-off from members of the local community.

Security operatives were immediately mobilized to foil the trafficking attempt.

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According to Hon. Anundu, the two girls—students of Tilley Gyado College—were targeted by traffickers who allegedly planned to send them to Libya for forced prostitution. The suspects, identified as Mr. Shola Oyiwale and his brother, Mr. Jide Oyiwale, were reportedly acting under the instructions of Shola’s fiancée, who is based in Libya.

Anundu disclosed that the traffickers had received N100,000 to carry out the mission and had already purchased hijabs and travel kits for the girls. Four girls were allegedly lured into the scheme, but only two were rescued, while efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining two.

The rescued students have been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation, profiling, and rehabilitation.

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, praised Anundu’s intervention via a phone call and stressed that such criminal activities must not be allowed to take root in the state.

NAPTIP also acknowledged Anundu’s consistent efforts in tackling trafficking and child labour in the region.

The rescue mission was conducted in partnership with the Nigeria Police Force and Hon. Sam Magah, the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Project Monitoring and Community Services.

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