New Sect Linked to Human Trafficking Emerges in Nigeria
According to the Nigeria Immigration Service, the leader of the sect resides in Jos, Plateau State, North-central Nigeria, where over 100 trafficking victims were rescued in the past year.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has uncovered a sect in Kaduna, northwestern Nigeria, linked to human trafficking and child separation. Known as ACHAD Life Mission International, the group “neither believes in Islam nor Christianity but preaches the restoration of African tradition and support to humanity,” said A.A. Aridegbe, Principal Staff Officer to the NIS Comptroller General, in a statement seen by HumAngle.
The NIS identified Yokana, who resides in Jos, Plateau State, North-central Nigeria, as the sect’s leader. “The sect has been canvassing for members both within and outside Nigeria,” Aridegbe added.
Plateau State has recently been identified as a hotspot for human trafficking, particularly affecting children. Olivia Dazyem, Chairperson of the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, revealed that over 100 trafficking victims were rescued in the past year.
“The insecurity challenge which bedevilled the state for some years now exposed our vulnerabilities to the point that we have more widows and more orphans on our hands,” Dazyem said. “We have internally displaced camps in the state, and the situation has been exploited by people who do not mean well for our state and our children; they came under the guise of offering help. In their ignorance and lack of awareness, some parents unknowingly allow their children to be trafficked. Many times, with the slightest information on an organisation, most parents bring their children to them.”
These gaps are fertile ground for groups like ACHAD Life Mission International to exploit.
On Dec. 2, 2024, the Nigerian Police Force arrested a child-trafficking syndicate led by Dayo Bernard, a pastor with the End Time Army Ministry in the Jos-Bukuru metropolis. The operation resulted in the rescue of five children, aged 2 to 4, who had been abducted from their homes in Kwande, Qua’an Pan Local Government Area, Plateau State.
“He [referring to Dayo] went [to Kwande] in the disguise of evangelism, where he told the parents that he had an orphanage and convinced them to release their children to him for sponsorship from nursery schools to higher institutions,” said Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Police Force.
Bernard confessed to abducting and selling 13 other children at varying prices.
Oluwafunmilayo Para-Mallam, National Coordinator of Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society (CWEENS), a faith-based organisation that has been at the forefront of combating child trafficking in the state, revealed that the children are usually sold for amounts ranging from ₦350,000 to ₦750,000.
In Dec. 2024 alone, the CWEENS rescued 13 trafficked children in Plateau State. The children received shelter and psychological support before reuniting with their families through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
Local authorities say efforts to combat human trafficking in Plateau State remain ongoing, but the emergence of groups like ACHAD Life Mission International underscores the persistent challenges faced by authorities and advocacy groups in protecting vulnerable families and children.
The NIS has directed its border formations to “stay vigilant, and report immediately any sign of the sect, and where possible arrest,” Aridegbe added.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has uncovered the ACHAD Life Mission International sect in Kaduna, linked to human trafficking and child separation. Led by Yokana in Jos, the sect targets new members in and outside Nigeria under the guise of promoting African traditions. The rise in trafficking is exacerbated by vulnerabilities in Plateau State, which has seen recent arrests of traffickers like Pastor Dayo Bernard, who abducted and sold children under false pretenses.
Efforts to combat trafficking include interventions by local authorities and organizations like CWEENS, which rescued 13 children in December 2024 in Plateau State. However, the emergence of groups like ACHAD Life Mission International poses ongoing challenges. The NIS has instructed its border formations to remain vigilant and report any signs of the sect for prompt action.
Support Our Journalism
There are millions of ordinary people affected by conflict in Africa whose stories are missing in the mainstream media. HumAngle is determined to tell those challenging and under-reported stories, hoping that the people impacted by these conflicts will find the safety and security they deserve.
To ensure that we continue to provide public service coverage, we have a small favour to ask you. We want you to be part of our journalistic endeavour by contributing a token to us.
Your donation will further promote a robust, free, and independent media.
Donate Here
