Activist rescues hundreds of trafficked girls in Nigeria
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Sughnen Yaaya, a 36-year-old activist in Benue State, Nigeria, has intercepted 573 girls allegedly being trafficked within the country and returned 103 others from outside Nigeria since March 2026.
Yaaya began his work after noticing a high rate of human trafficking originating from Benue, identifying it as the state with the most cases in Nigeria.
He works with a network of informants and collaborators, including a contact within a Nigerian embassy, to locate and rescue victims from countries like Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. Yaaya primarily focuses on girls from Benue State, intercepting them at transport hubs and along trafficking routes. He also reports that 32 girls from Benue have died in foreign countries due to circumstances related to trafficking.
He coordinates with the Benue State Police Command for arrests, having secured the arrest and remand of 59 people involved in trafficking networks. Yaaya funds his operation personally, supplemented by small donations from individuals and support from Benue Links, the state transport company, which assists with the return of rescued girls. He faces challenges including intimidation from traffickers, who have filed petitions against him, and a lack of financial support to expand his work to assist victims from other states.
He hopes increased funding will allow him to broaden his reach and strengthen anti-trafficking strategies.
