The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has announced the successful rescue of five girls from Benue who were trafficked to Cote d’Ivoire for prostitution. On Monday, a video surfaced on social media, showing the girls speaking in the Tiv language and explaining their ordeal.
In the video, the girls revealed they were sold for N400,000 each for prostitution after being deceived into believing they were going to work in Cote d’Ivoire. One of the girls explained, “We all came—four of us—but it was one person who sold us all. The lady is at home (Kwande). She connects with another lady here in Cote d’Ivoire and shares the money they sold us. We were sold for N400,000 each.” She further added, “We are here for three weeks so far. The only one, the youngest, was sold to another place. She is 14 years old, and we haven’t seen her.”
The girls were lured with promises of legitimate work and were told they would earn N50,000 monthly while having to repay N70,000 for transportation costs. They agreed, thinking they could repay the transportation fee within two months. However, their situation quickly turned dire as they were forced into prostitution. “Within three weeks, different men were having sex with us. Each round is 2000 CFA (N4,000),” one of the girls stated.
On Tuesday, Gloria Bai, NAPTIP’s zonal commander in Benue, confirmed the rescue of the girls. She mentioned that the girls are currently in the custody of the Nigerian embassy in Cote d’Ivoire. Bai also noted that the woman identified by the girls as their trafficker had been arrested. Bai said, “We have seen the girls and the video. The girls are there in Cote d’Ivoire. For now, there are five of them, and we have spoken to them yesterday, and they are safe at the Nigerian Embassy in Cote d’Ivoire.”
Arrangements are being made to bring the girls back to Nigeria safely. Bai assured, “As of this morning, arrangements are being made for them to be brought back to the country, and we are monitoring the situation to ensure that they are brought back safely and handed over to us.” She also confirmed that the woman who allegedly sold the girls had been arrested and was with the Nigerian Police Force in Kwande. NAPTIP is collaborating with the police to investigate her involvement in the trafficking ring.
Bai expressed concern about the exposure of the girls’ identities due to the viral video. “It’s unfortunate that the video went viral because the identities of the girls have been exposed as it’s being shared all over social media,” she said. She emphasized the need to acknowledge the severity of human trafficking and exploitation that continues to affect many young girls from Nigeria. “It is also a call for us that we shouldn’t be in denial that our girls are being taken out every day to African countries for all sorts of exploitation.”
Sewuese Anene, the spokesperson for the Benue police, also commented on the case. Anene stated that the suspect would be brought to the force headquarters on Wednesday for further investigation. The police are working closely with NAPTIP to ensure that justice is served and to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
