By Peter Duru, Makurdi
At 36, Sughnen Yaaya has taken on what many would consider a dangerous and daunting task of confronting the menace of human trafficking in Benue, a state he says has recorded the highest cases of trafficking in the country.
Yaaya, an activist and anti-human trafficking campaigner, has, since March 2026, been involved in the interception of hundreds of young girls allegedly being trafficked within Nigeria, while also coordinating the rescue and return of victims from countries like Ghana, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso among others.
He says he has so far intercepted 573 Benue girls within Nigeria and facilitated the return of 103 others from outside the country. He also claims that about 32 Benue girls have died in foreign countries in circumstances linked to trafficking.
In this interview, Yaaya spoke on what motivated his intervention, how the trafficking networks operate, the challenges he has encountered, alleged attempts by traffickers to intimidate him, his collaboration with security agencies and the need for stronger measures to combat trafficking.
Excerpt:
How old are you, because you look so young and you have taken up a task that is quite herculean?
I am 36 years old.
At 36, why did you choose to lead an anti-trafficking campaign, what is the motivation?
If you check everywhere, over time, there have been issues of insecurity and other challenges in Benue. Notwithstanding the hardship, some people have now resorted to trafficking, perhaps for profit-making and other reasons.
From the available data, Benue is the state with the highest number of human trafficking cases.
So, as a citizen of Benue state, I thought it was wise to see if I could help. I decided to campaign and create awareness so that people would know that this is happening. Aside from my inability to provide solutions to insecurity, kidnapping and other challenges, I chose to fight human trafficking and organise anti-human trafficking campaigns.
I don’t have any other motive. It is not for profit-making. I am just trying to help in my little way.
In the course of your voluntary work, how many people have you rescued since the beginning of this year?
My brother, they are many. Let me break it down for you. From March till now, I don’t like giving out my data because I work with people. I work with the police, and if I have to give out any data, I think it would be wise to go through the proper channels. But, since this is for a report, let me say that from March till now, I have intercepted 573 girls. By interception, I mean that we stopped them before they were taken out of the country.
We could intercept them at a motor park or somewhere along the route because I have people who assist me.
We have intercepted 573 girls from March till now. These are girls intercepted within Nigeria, especially in Lagos.
And these were all Benue girls?
Yes, all of them were Benue girls. I don’t have the resources to focus on people from other states. I am focused on Benue.
For those we rescued outside the country and brought back home, the number is 103.
You rescued them from outside the country?
Yes. Some were rescued from Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and other countries.
Outside the country, I have people who assist me. In one particular Nigerian embassy, I have a Benue brother who helps me. Once I give him the location, he mobilises, goes there and helps rescue them.
So, apart from those rescued outside the country, the ones you intercepted inside Nigeria are over 500?
Yes, those within Nigeria are interceptions
If you intercept them, that means traffickers couldn’t get them outside the country?
Exactly. That is the essence of interception. This whole thing is also happening within Nigeria. For instance, in Benin, Edo and others states there are places where women and young girls are allegedly kept for prostitution.
And they are all Benue girls?
Yes, they are all Benue girls, like I said. All Benue girls. I have videos and pictures. If you want, I can forward them to you. I have many pictures. We also have about 32 who died outside the country. If you go through my social media handles, you will see that I sometimes post about Benue girls dying in Ghana.
And this record is from March 2026 till now?
Yes, just from March. That was when I started taking the issue seriously.
Are you getting any support from the government?
No, no single support.
So, you are doing this from your pocket?
From my pocket. I also have some brothers who support me. Sometimes, people who follow me on social media and see what I am doing send me messages saying they want to help. The highest support I have received so far is N500,000.
I have received N500,000, N200,000, N100,000, N10,000 and so on from individuals.
What are the challenges you have been facing in the course of your intervention?
There are a lot of challenges.
First, the traffickers and their families try to come after me and my family. That is one major challenge. Some of them even use security agencies. As I speak, there’s a petition written against me by a trafficker in Lagos.
According to her, she trafficked only three girls. But those girls told me that she took six of them to Ghana.
When I contacted her, she said she took only three and brought back two, meaning that only one is still there. When I asked her to send the remaining girl back home, she went and wrote a petition against me at Zone 2 in Lagos. In Nigeria, if you have money, you can do almost anything. That is one of the challenges.
Finance is another major challenge, and it is the biggest one. If I am well-funded, I think I can expand my work. There are victims from other states who have been contacting me. Last week, some girls from Rivers State called me from Mali for assistance.
For now, I want to focus on Benue because of some limitations and other factors. But if I have the money, why not expand the work to other states? I will.
Human trafficking is a major challenge in Nigeria, and Benue is currently topping the list, according to the data available to us.
How many of the traffickers have you been able to get arrested in the course of this intervention?
They are many. When it comes to arrests, I really appreciate the Benue State Police Command for the wonderful job it is doing. Initially, I was working with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, but I moved from NAPTIP to the police in March. That is why I gave you the statistics starting from March.
The number of people arrested and remanded awaiting trial is now 59.
When I arrest some of them, I sometimes give them a soft landing. That is if they bring the victims back, take them to the hospital and perhaps empower them. Some of them comply and I let the matter go.
Given the inherent dangers in this assignment, are you not scared for your life?
Of course I am very scared. I count my days every day. But I know that when you are doing what is right, God is always there for you.
What I am doing is to help the society, especially the underprivileged. So, I am not really scared in the true sense of the word.
Do you have personal security?
I don’t have the money for that for now. God is my security. When I have the money, I can get security personnel attached to me. But for now, I am doing the work and praying to God for protection.
Is the Benue State Government assisting you?
No, not at all. But I get assistance from Benue Links, the state-owned transport company, which helps to transport some of the girls back home when we rescue them.
What is your final word to young girls and traffickers out there?
My message to the traffickers is that we are getting closer to the end of the war against human trafficking. If they still want to move more people, we will enforce more measures against them. If I have what it takes, I believe you won’t see anything like human trafficking again. But I have developed strategies over time. I have developed major strategies, including working with immigration officials, people at the borders and others. If we can close all the leakages, I think we will achieve good results.
For my sisters, I am always advising them to stay at home, go to school and get educated. If you are travelling as an educated person, you should know that you need a passport and all the necessary documents before travelling. If somebody says they are offering you a job, you should be able to check the company’s website and verify everything. Make your findings very well before travelling.
I advise them to stay safe, get educated and become useful to themselves.
The post ‘I’ve intercepted 573 Benue girls from traffickers, returned over 103 from outside Nigeria since March’ — Acrivist Yaaya appeared first on Vanguard News.