‘I’ve intercepted 573 Benue girls from traffickers, returned over 103 from outside Nigeria since March’ — Acrivist Yaaya

By Peter Duru, Makurdi
At 36, Sughnen Yaaya has taken on what many would consider a dangerous and daunting task of confronting the menace of human trafficking in Benue, a state he says has recorded the highest cases of trafficking in the country. Yaaya, an activist and anti-human trafficking campaigner, has, since March 2026, been involved in the interception of hundreds of young girls allegedly being trafficked within Nigeria, while also coordinating the rescue and return of victims from countries like Ghana, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso among others. He says he has so far intercepted 573 Benue girls within Nigeria and facilitated the return of 103 others from outside the country....