EXPOSED: How Criminals Used Benue's Conflicts to Traffic Children and Women

Under a mango tree, Hembadoon Tervershima watched as a motorcycle turned onto the narrow footpath leading to her home. The 42-year-old widow has been living with her mother since her daughter went missing in May 2024. Even after two years, the sound of a vehicle still brings back memories of her daughter.

“I still wait for her every day,” she said softly. “Sometimes I thought I heard her voice.”

Joy Tervershima was just 15 when she left for school one morning in Zaki Biam, the headquarters of Ukum Local Government Area in Benue State. That was the last time her family saw her. Joy's disappearance came after armed attackers forced her family and many others from their home in Guma Local Government Area. They moved to Zaki Biam with hopes of starting over, but their dreams were shattered.

Months later, police told the family that Joy had been trafficked from Lagos to Libya. Almost a year after she disappeared, Joy called home from an international number.

According to Mrs Tervershima, Joy said that a man she knew from Zaki Biam had lured her and other girls with promises of jobs abroad.

“When they got to Libya, they realised they had been taken there for prostitution,” her mother said.

Joy told her family that many girls from Benue died during the journey. Since that call, she has only spoken to her mother twice. Now, her phone is unreachable.

“I don’t know if she is alive or dead,” her mother said.

Joy’s father passed away in December 2024 after a stroke. Mrs Tervershima later learned that the suspected trafficker was well-known around the Zaki Biam International Yam Market. His current location is unknown.

The Promise

Hundreds of kilometres away, another trafficking ring was targeting vulnerable teens with similar job offers. Two 17-year-olds, Chivirter and Kashimana, from Logo Local Government Area, were among those drawn in. The girls grew up in communities plagued by violence that disrupted their farming and other ways of making a living.

They said a relative of one had promised them jobs in Benin City, Edo State. Neither girl told her parents before leaving with the man.

At that time, Chivirter’s mother, Nancy, was in Taraba State. “I was shocked,” she said. “Nobody knew where she had gone.”

The Journey

The girls said their trip to Benin City took almost two days, passing several security checkpoints.

“The security people only asked for money,” Kashimana said. “Nobody asked us where we were going.”

Once in Benin City, the girls were handed over to different women. Kashimana's Madam was Mama Osas in the Akiwa area.

Chivirter managed to use a mobile phone to plan her escape. Within a week, she returned to Benue.

“I called my parents and told them I had been trafficked,” she said. “I told them I wanted to return home.”

Kashimana stayed in Benin City for over a year and told her parents she had married.

“I knew they were worried,” she said. “I wanted them to move on.”

Life After Trafficking

Kashimana said she was not forced into prostitution. “I heard about it because other girls were doing it,” she said.

She claimed that Atsuku pressured her to bring in other girls from Benue, offering between ₦90,000 and ₦120,000 for each person she brought into the network.

Both girls are back in Benue, but their families say the experience still affects them. Chivirter’s father noted that she became withdrawn after returning.

“She is no longer the same person,” he said. “The experience changed her.”

Kashimana’s family described a similar change. Before their departure, the two friends were active in church, but now Kashimana rarely participates.

“We feel ashamed,” Chivirter said. “We are always scared.”

The Lost Children

Investigations revealed that traffickers targeted families displaced by conflict in Guma Local Government Area. They posed as aid workers, promising parents that their children would go to school and return for holidays.

Lucy Emmanuel, a 31-year-old widow, was approached in June 2024. After losing her husband in January, she fled violence with her two kids, Rejoice, 8, and Michael, 5. Initially, she turned down the offer.

“I had only my two children left,” Mrs Emmanuel recalled. “I cannot give them away.”

Eventually, her relatives convinced her that the programme would help her children. Like many other parents, she thought she was sending them to school.

PREMIUM TIMES found that over 300 children were taken from Guma Local Government Area in 2024 through this scheme. When Mrs Emmanuel’s children did not come home for Christmas in December 2024, she still believed they were safe. But when they didn’t return for Easter in 2025, she knew something was wrong.

In June 2025, Yelewata suffered a deadly attack, killing over 100 people. Some parents searching for their missing children were among the dead. Mrs Emmanuel eventually moved to the International Market Internally Displaced Persons camp in Makurdi. NAPTIP later reunited her with Rejoice, but Michael is still missing.

Behind the Programme

Further investigation linked the trafficking to the National Council of Child Rights Advocates of Nigeria (NACCRAN), an organisation set up in 2001 to promote children's rights and protect them. One of its initiatives was a “Back-to-School” programme aimed at helping vulnerable children access education.

This programme was reportedly misused to recruit children from conflict-affected areas in Guma, especially Yelewata, Daudu, and Agban. NAPTIP confirmed that over 300 children aged between one and 13 were taken from these communities. Some parents signed consent forms while others gave verbal approval, believing their children would return after three years.

The agency identified Anderson Archibong, NACCRAN’s executive secretary, as the main suspect in this operation. Dillo Ibrahim, head of Intelligence and International Cooperation at NAPTIP’s Makurdi office, said their investigation began on May 1, 2025, after a man reported that his four-year-old son had been given to an NGO without his consent.

This led to arrests in Daudu, revealing a larger trafficking network. Mr Ibrahim said the suspects focused on communities displaced by farmer-herder violence, presenting the programme to local leaders as a way to help vulnerable children.

NAPTIP also found one Mercy Akema, who pretended to be from Guma, as a key player in the operation.

“Ms Akema claimed she was from that area,” Mr Ibrahim told PREMIUM TIMES. “That was one of the major reasons the people trusted them.”

According to the agency, children from Yelewata, Daudu, and Agban were often transported in Mr Archibong’s personal vehicle to orphanages in Abuja and Nasarawa before being taken to other parts of the country.

NAPTIP mentioned that Mr Archibong had documents identifying him as a child rights advocate.

“He had proof to show security agencies that he had legal custody of the children.”

The agency identified four orphanages used as transit points: Divine Orphanage Home in Abuja, Zion Gate Orphanage in Mararaba, Divine ABN in Masaka, and Touch a Child Orphanage Home in Enugu.

NAPTIP alleged that some children were sold to adopters for between ₦1 million and ₦3 million. One complainant told investigators he paid ₦2.8 million as an adoption fee plus ₦100,000 consultancy fee.

“The striking issue is that the names of the children were changed,” Mr Ibrahim said. “The buyers gave them new names.”

So far, NAPTIP has rescued 105 children linked to this operation. Out of these, 101 have reunited with their families while four are still with the agency as they continue to trace their relatives.

The rescued children were found in several states: 39 in the Federal Capital Territory, 12 in Abia, 11 in Lagos, eight in Nasarawa, and others in Rivers and Imo. Mr Ibrahim noted that additional victims in Abia have been identified, and more rescue operations are planned.

“In our investigation, we have not seen anyone taken for ritual purposes,” Mr Ibrahim said. “It is mainly for financial gain. The demand for children is very high, especially among those unable to have children.”

Mr Archibong has been charged in connection with the Benue case. NAPTIP stated he was granted bail but was rearrested for trying to recruit more children in Nasarawa.

Mercy Akema has also been charged, and investigations into other suspects continue.

“We are optimistic,” Mr Ibrahim said. “Anyone involved in this syndicate will face the law.”

An official from NAPTIP’s Lafia Zonal Command, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed that Mr Archibong is facing another trafficking case in Nasarawa involving over 200 children. He is currently held at the Lafia Custodial Centre.

Attempts by PREMIUM TIMES to contact Mr Archibong’s lawyer were unsuccessful.

The Girls Who Never Returned

While Chivirter escaped quickly and Kashimana returned after more than a year, many young women from Benue have died abroad.

During this investigation, PREMIUM TIMES gathered photos, videos, death notices, and testimonies about trafficked girls from the state who died in Libya, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Benin Republic.

Several families reported never seeing their daughters alive again. Some could not pay to bring their bodies home. One of the deceased was Dorcas Sewuese.

A family member, who asked to remain anonymous, said they wanted to bring her body home for burial but couldn’t afford it. Mr Ibrahim from NAPTIP’s Makurdi office confirmed that the agency handled her case. He stated that Miss Sewuese became critically ill in Benghazi, Libya. NAPTIP had arranged for her return to Nigeria, but she died before boarding the flight. The agency arrested people linked to her trafficking, and the case is now before the Federal High Court.

Human rights activist Yaaya Sughnen, who has spent three years documenting trafficking cases in Benue, believes Miss Sewuese’s death is part of a larger issue.

Twenty-Three Deaths

Mr Sughnen told PREMIUM TIMES that at least 23 young women from Benue died in trafficking-related situations across Africa between March and June.

Families often reach out to him after losing contact with daughters seeking work. He said he receives about 20 trafficking-related reports weekly, documenting cases and collaborating with security agencies, including the Benue State Police Gender Unit, to trace victims and suspects.

He explained that trafficking networks typically lure young women with job promises in Nigeria and abroad. Recruiters operate through various agents, paying between ₦200,000 and ₦1 million to move victims before they cross borders.

Regarding the children, Mr Sughnen noted that recruiters exploit their parents' desperation. Weak enforcement along some trafficking routes, especially at border crossings, also allows traffickers to operate with little scrutiny.

Mr Ibrahim from NAPTIP stated that the deaths of some victims highlight the need to stop trafficking before it starts.

He said the agency has expanded awareness campaigns in schools, churches, motor parks, IDP camps, and other vulnerable areas, warning people about deceptive recruitment schemes and urging them to report suspicious approaches.

Government Was Unaware

Janet Daagba, director of Child Development in the Benue State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, said they only learned about the alleged “Back-to-School” scheme after law enforcement began investigating.

“We were not aware,” she said. “It was only later that the Ministry of Justice contacted us about the investigation. They are handling the matter.”

The officials stated that the ministry has since improved community-based child protection in IDP camps and host communities. Social workers have been deployed, and UNICEF and others have supported awareness campaigns warning families against giving children to strangers posing as aid workers.

She also mentioned livelihood programs for displaced women, including agricultural support and vocational training, to help reduce the economic vulnerability that traffickers exploit.

Mrs Daagba stated that the ministry collaborates with traditional leaders, faith-based organizations, NGOs, and UNICEF on child protection and awareness programs.

For families still waiting for missing children, the ministry offers psychosocial support in camps while investigations and rescue efforts continue.

“We are giving them hope,” she said. “Our staff are in the camps providing support, and we are working with other agencies to prevent these incidents from happening again.”

The Ministry of Justice is leading the legal response while the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare supports affected families and strengthens child protection measures.

Questions Left Unanswered

PREMIUM TIMES could not reach the Benue State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Ornguga Yangien, by phone. The newspaper later reached out via WhatsApp for his response on the findings, including the prosecution status and measures to recover missing children.

Mr Yangien read the message but did not respond before publication.

Police Response Sought

PREMIUM TIMES also sought the Benue State Police Command’s response to the trafficking patterns uncovered. Police spokesperson Peter Aondongu said he needed to speak with the Gender Desk Officer and brief the Commissioner of Police before replying.

A follow-up with the Gender Desk Officer indicated that the necessary approval had not been granted. Further attempts to contact Mr Aondongu were unsuccessful as his line became unreachable before publication.

Still Waiting

The scale of trafficking found in Benue is part of a larger national crisis. At the 28th National Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum and Summit on Human Trafficking in Abuja on July 30, 2025, NAPTIP and its partners described trafficking as organized crime, highlighting the global trade, estimated at over $245 billion each year.

The agency reported rescuing 25,642 victims, arresting 11,406 suspects, and securing 750 convictions. The summit had 323 participants from government, law enforcement, NGOs, and development organizations, calling for stronger leadership and cooperation.

Almost a year later, NAPTIP and its partners are working to strengthen that framework. On July 6, the agency announced the validation of Nigeria’s National Strategy to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Violence Against Persons (TIPVAP 2025, 2027), developed with support from ECOWAS, the European Union, Denmark, and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development.

The strategy focuses on policy development, prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships.

But the need for action is already clear in Benue. By July 2025, NAPTIP had identified Benue as the leading source of trafficking cases in Nigeria. Speaking in Makurdi, NAPTIP Director-General Binta Bello, represented by the agency’s Director of Intelligence, Josiah Emeriole, said Benue had surpassed Edo in the number of rescued victims and arrested suspects.

She linked this increase to ongoing insecurity, which has displaced families, killed parents, and left children open to exploitation.

For the mothers of trafficked children, the promises from government agencies will remain empty until their children come home.