An okada rider and two girls from Akpaghar in Mbatyav, Gboko Local Government Area, were intercepted in Vandeikya after anti-trafficking operatives acted on intelligence that the group was heading towards Cross River State. According to a statement shared by Aondo Terhemba Joseph, the individuals had earlier been observed at a local eatery in Gboko, raising suspicion among those monitoring human trafficking activities in the area.
Information reached the team that the group was en route to Cross River, prompting the setting up of an ambush in Vandeikya where the interception took place. The two girls reportedly did not know their intended destination or the purpose of the journey, and their parents were unaware that they had left home.
The operation forms part of efforts that have been ongoing for more than three months to track a network believed to use commercial motorcycle riders to move girls from Benue to Cross River for further distribution to other parts of the country and abroad. The statement issued a strong warning that Vandeikya Local Government Area would not serve as a safe passage for those involved in human trafficking, declaring that the community would resist such activities to the end.
