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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Benue State-owned transport company, Benue Links Nigeria Limited, has intercepted and facilitated the return of no fewer than 238 trafficked persons and intending victims of human trafficking to their communities as part of its efforts in combating child trafficking in the state.
The General Manager of Benue Links Nigeria Limited, Alexander Fanafa, disclosed this while explaining measures adopted by the company to check and prevent traffickers from using its transport facilities to move children and other vulnerable persons out of the state.
Fanafa, who spoke to our correspondent in his Makurdi office, said that as of August 24, 2026, the company had intercepted 238 persons suspected to be victims or intending victims of trafficking and transported them back to their communities to reunite with their families.
According to him, Benue Links has adopted a more aggressive approach to tackling trafficking by deploying monitoring officers and sensitizing security personnel operating within its terminals to identify suspicious movements involving children.
He explained that “whenever an adult travels with children bearing different surnames, monitoring officers become particularly interested and conduct further checks to establish the relationship between the adult and the children, their destination and the purpose of the journey.
“We try to find out the relationship between them, where they are going and why they are travelling together,” Fanafa said, adding that the process had led to the apprehension of several persons suspected of aiding, abetting or directly engaging in child trafficking.
He said suspects apprehended by the company were handed over to relevant security agencies, including the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Department of State Services (DSS) in Benue State, for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Fanafa further disclosed that the company had also been directed by the state Governor Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, to provide free transportation for legitimate victims of trafficking who were rescued or found in other parts of the country and needed to return to Benue.
He said the arrangement covered victims regardless of their state of origin, provided their status as trafficking victims had been legitimately established and documented by the appropriate security agencies.
He said “Once it is legitimately identified that you were trafficked and the security agencies have documented the details of your person, Benue Links will assist you to get back to your destination.”
He disclosed that some victims had been rescued from places like Lagos and Benin and transported back to Benue, while others were assisted by security agencies in other states before being handed over for repatriation.
He recalled a recent instance where 11 victims were brought back from Benin and subsequently handed over to relevant authorities and reunited with their families, while another group of about 15 victims rescued in Lagos was transported to Benue and handed over to the DSS.
Fanafa said the company’s intervention went beyond transportation, as victims were also referred to NAPTIP and other relevant agencies for rehabilitation and reintegration into their families.
He commended the wife of the Tor Tiv, Professor Ayati, for showing interest in the welfare of returned victims, saying she had consistently received some of them and offered encouragement and basic skills to help them overcome the trauma associated with trafficking.
The General Manager said the intervention was necessary because some of the victims were deceived with promises of better opportunities outside Benue, only to be taken to destinations where their phones were confiscated and their movements controlled.
He said some victims were moved through illegal routes and transported to other countries, including Mali, after being taken to major Nigerian cities.
Fanafa said the experiences narrated by some rescued victims had provided insight into the methods allegedly used by traffickers to lure and move vulnerable children and young people.
He also disclosed that Benue Links had been collaborating with immigration officials, security agencies and other stakeholders to educate passengers and members of the public on the dangers of human trafficking and irregular migration while immigration officials had visited the company’s terminal several times to sensitise passengers, traders and other members of the public, particularly during the early morning rush when the terminal attracts large numbers of travellers.
While acknowledging the financial cost of the intervention, Fanafa said Benue Links had continued to repatriate victims despite the loss of revenue involved, stressing that the company was implementing the state government’s directive because of its concern for the welfare and safety of residents.
Fanafa urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements involving children, stressing that Benue Links would continue collaborating with security and humanitarian agencies to curb human trafficking and reunite rescued victims with their families.
