Tears, Deception and Survival: How Three Plateau Women Were Lured to Mali for Prostitution

Tears, Deception and Survival: How Three Plateau Women Were Lured to Mali for Prostitution

…As GAHTO Raises Alarm Over Passport Seizure, Labour Exploitation in Egypt

By Naomi Onome

Three young women from Plateau State have recounted how they were allegedly deceived and trafficked to Mali under the false promise of securing legitimate jobs in Lagos, only to end up trapped in prostitution and subjected to abuse.

The victims — 35-year-old Becky Ibrahim, 24-year-old Blessing Nanging and 23-year-old Miracle Yakubu — shared their experiences after they were rescued and returned to Nigeria by the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organization (GAHTO).

Speaking during an interview facilitated by journalists in Lagos, the women said poverty, unemployment and the desire to support their families pushed them into accepting what they believed were genuine job offers.

Becky Ibrahim, a mother of three, explained that she was approached in Jos by a man who promised to connect her with jobs in Lagos. Struggling financially after the death of her husband, she agreed to travel in hopes of providing for her children and paying school fees.

According to her, the journey unexpectedly extended beyond Lagos to Cotonou and eventually Mali, where she discovered they had been trafficked. Becky alleged that upon arrival, they were forced into prostitution and beaten whenever they resisted.

Another victim, Blessing Nanging, said she left Plateau State after being promised employment in Lagos because she could no longer provide food for her two children. She said the traffickers later informed them they were travelling to Cotonou, but the journey continued until they reached Mali.

Blessing disclosed that they were eventually told the “job” was prostitution and not the shop work they had earlier been promised. She alleged that refusal to cooperate often resulted in punishment and intimidation.

Miracle Yakubu, 23, narrated how she allegedly suffered severe abuse after attempting to escape from the traffickers. According to her, she was attacked, stabbed with a bottle and beaten after she and another victim planned to flee.

The victims said they were unaware of the true nature of the trip before leaving Plateau State and warned other young Nigerians against falling for fake overseas job offers.

“Stay in your place and look for something to do. Don’t follow people because they promise you work abroad,” Becky advised.

The rescued victims were received in Lagos by GAHTO and handed over to Naomi Badu, financial secretary of the BIROM Association community in Lagos.

According to Badu, the BIROM Association was alerted after the victims were brought back from Mali through Ghana into Nigeria. She explained that the group immediately mobilised to receive them and arrange their safe return to Plateau State.

“We always respond whenever our people are in distress — whether sick, stranded or trafficked. We make sure they are safely transported home and reunited with their families,” she said.

Human rights advocate and journalist Mrs Jumai  Madaki commented on the increasing rate of human trafficking and labour exploitation involving young Nigerian girls, especially from Plateau State. She said many victims are deceived with fake job offers and trafficked to countries like Mali and Ghana, where they are forced into prostitution and subjected to severe abuse. According to her, poverty, insecurity, family breakdown, and discrimination against girls have made many young women vulnerable to traffickers.

Madaki explained that ignorance and economic hardship have pushed some families into supporting illegal migration, believing prostitution abroad is similar to local commercial sex work. She revealed that some trafficked girls are forced to sleep with dozens of men daily, while others are assaulted for refusing prostitution. She also warned that some former victims who return home wealthy now recruit other girls into trafficking networks.

She called for stronger community involvement, including the creation of community by-laws to hold traffickers and irresponsible parents accountable. The advocate also criticised Nigeria’s anti-trafficking laws as too weak and urged the government to strengthen penalties and provide more funding and operational support for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which she said currently lacks adequate facilities to effectively fight trafficking.

Meanwhile, the President of the Global Anti-human Human Trafficking Offences (GAHTO), Comrade Prosper, also raised alarm over increasing cases of labour exploitation involving Nigerians trafficked to Egypt.

According to him, several traffickers and sponsors allegedly confiscate the international passports of victims upon arrival and force them into exploitative labour conditions for between 18 to 24 months.

“We will forward the names of those involved to the necessary security agencies so they can be placed on watchlists and arrested,” he stated.

He further disclosed that members of the Yoruba community have repeatedly complained about sponsors and agents who seize the passports of trafficked Nigerians and subject them to harsh conditions in Egypt.

The anti-human trafficking advocate called on the Nigerian government, security agencies and international organisations to intensify efforts against trafficking and labour exploitation networks operating across Africa and the Middle East.

The latest incident has once again exposed the growing activities of human trafficking syndicates targeting vulnerable young Nigerians with fake promises of jobs in cities and abroad.