Nigerian survivors rescued from sex slavery in Côte d’Ivoire
A group of Nigerian women rescued from a suspected human trafficking ring in Côte d’Ivoire have shared harrowing accounts of deception, captivity and sexual exploitation after being lured abroad with promises of employment.
The victims, ranging in age from 17 to 38, were rescued during a joint operation involving Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), authorities in Côte d’Ivoire and the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation (GAHTO).
According to the survivors, traffickers targeted them with offers of legitimate jobs and better economic opportunities, only for them to discover upon arrival that they had been trapped in conditions of forced labour and exploitation.
One of the rescued victims, a 17-year-old identified as Monica, said she accepted what she believed was a bakery job opportunity before travelling through Lagos to Côte d’Ivoire. She said the promises quickly fell apart after she arrived.
“We realised there was no job when we were locked inside a room,” she recalled, explaining that victims were pressured to reassure relatives back home that they were safe despite their circumstances.
She said attempts to communicate their ordeal to family members were often interrupted, while deductions were made from the little money they earned without explanation.
Another survivor, Monica Tamah, said her decision to travel was motivated by a desire to support her family and provide for her daughter’s education. Instead, she said she was forced into prostitution after arriving in Côte d’Ivoire.
According to her account, victims were informed that they had accumulated travel debts and would have to repay them through sex work. She said she spent about six months in captivity before being rescued.
The survivors alleged that those controlling them generated substantial sums from their exploitation while providing them with little or no financial benefit.
GAHTO described the rescue operations as a significant step in the fight against human trafficking and said additional victims from Nigeria’s Benue State were also freed in a separate intervention.
The organisation urged Nigerians to thoroughly verify overseas job offers and migration opportunities through official channels, warning that traffickers continue to exploit vulnerable people seeking better lives abroad.
It also called for stronger cooperation among governments, security agencies and international partners to dismantle trafficking networks, rescue victims and prosecute those responsible.
Source: Punch
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