NAPTIP rescues 96 trafficked children from Benue, reunites 84 with families

National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has reportedly rescued 96 children who were trafficked in Benue State, and of the total number of rescued children, 84 have been reunited with their parents.

This information was disclosed by Mrs. Hembadoom Kuma, recently deployed as Zonal Commander of NAPTIP’s Makurdi Zonal Command in an interaction with journalists in Makurdi.

According to NAN, earlier in the year, NAPTIP stated that over 300 children had been trafficked from the state in 2025.

“Inheriting the office,” Kuma said that she immediately discovered the problem of trafficking of children in the state, as more than 300 children were trafficked in Guma LGA of the state in 2025.

She added that Makurdi Zonal Command, before her deployment, responded immediately to intelligence received regarding the incident, which led to the rescue of 87 children.

Kuma said that 84 of the children that were rescued have already been returned to their parents who were recovered from Abia, Imo, Rivers, and FCT, Abuja states.

The newly appointed zonal commander further explained that nine children were recently rescued and handed over to the Makurdi Zonal Command.

“We have rescued 96 children and reunited 84 of them with their parents.

“We are assuring parents that we will continue to work until the remaining children are rescued and handed over to their families,” she said.

Kuma warned traffickers and other perpetrators to desist from the criminal act.

She observed that although human trafficking was a nationwide challenge, Benue remained one of the states heavily affected by the crime, making collaboration essential to addressing the problem.

The commander urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to security agencies. (NAN)