by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
Following the heart-breaking video that trended on the social media of Plateau under-aged girls trafficked to Ghana for sexual exploitation, the State Government has combated and turned the sorrowful reality into victory for the resilience of human spirit and the determination of good governance aimed at preserving human dignity, in line with the “Time is Now” mantra.
The State Government, in a resolute and steadfast effort led by Hon Mrs Caroline Panglang Dafur, who is Commissioner for Women Affairs in Plateau State, along with Barr. Olivia Dazyem, Chairperson Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, together with a team of passionate officials of Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, coordinated with international allies such as Ghana Security agencies and rescued the girls.
The combined team executed the ‘underground operation’ with clinical precision, which saw the descent of law enforcement upon the hideouts that housed innocent girls stripped of their choice and freedom.
The Commissioner vows that, “to defend and protect the child’s right is as fierce as the Nigerian sun and unyielding” as the mighty Wase Rock defered her public holiday and immediately traveled to Lagos to receive the girls at the airport from NIDCOM and NAPTIP.
According to her, “With the victims rescued, Hon Dafur’s steely gaze now turned towards a different adversary of negligence,” she said, while addressing the media in Jos upon her return with the girls.
Hon Dafur announced her determination to hold accountable not only the perpetrators but also those guilty of exposing their children to such treacherous fate through abandonment.
“We shall extend our reach and ensure that parents, who, through negligence, place their children in harm’s way, understand the gravity of their abandonment of responsibility,” she assured.
She vowed “not to leave no stone unturned, to pursue justice with ferocity unheard of,” and consequently had the cartels that trafficked the girls immediately arrested and cooling off in custody at the Plateau State Police Command for further interrogation and prosecution.
“The negligent parents were also invited and are in detention at the State CID for ‘parental abandonment of responsibility.’ This is totally unacceptable, and we must put an end to this cartel of traffickers on the Plateau.
“The governor, Barr Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has declared a state-of-emergency on Social Welfare Protection on the Plateau, and I must see to it that all those involved and are now in custody to face the full wrath of the Law.
“We have the VAPP laws, Child Rights Act on the Plateau, and Government has invested a lot on its implementation and sensitization,” she noted.
Hon. Dafur disclosed that, “The parents will also face the law for neglecting their responsibility of not reporting the disappearance of their children, nor were the girls in school or learning any trade. It’s a clear case of abandonment of responsibility and it’s a crime under the VAPP laws,” she said.
According to her, they already have a joint task-force against trafficking on the Plateau, saying, “And we will ensure we change this ugly narrative.”
She appealed to communities, religious leaders and citizens to be more vigilant and report any suspicious activities of traffickers to the Ministry of Women Affairs or the Plateau State Gender Commission.