Connect with us

Metro

I was lured to Ghana with promise of N30,000 dishwashing job but sold into prostitution – 18-year-old victim

Published




An 18-year-old lady, simply identified as Oveze, had narrated her ordeal after she was tricked and lured from Nigeria to Ghana where she was sold into prostitution for N150,000.

Edo State-born Oveze, 18, has a three years old daughter. She lost her own mom when she was just about same age as her daughter and her elder sister – eight years her senior – has mothered her since then

Speaking of her ordeal in a The Punch Newspaper report on Saturday, told the story of how her close friend and classmate in primary school, one Bose Monday, took her to a woman in Ilesa, Osun State, who allegedly trafficked her to Ghana alongside 100 other girls.

She said the woman promised them they would earn N30, 000 each monthly serving as dishwashers but later sold each of them into slavery for N150, 000.

Oveze narrated that the story of her unfortunate exploit to Ghana began with a journey to Ilesa, Osun State, from Igarra, Edo State.

She said,

“It was one of my friends, Monday, who told me that after leaving Nigeria, we could earn about N30, 000 monthly as dishwashers if we got someone to engage us.

“I agreed and we left Edo State the following day for Ilesa, Osun State. When we got to Ilesa, she took me to a madam who told us that she would take us to Ghana where we would earn N30, 000 monthly as dishwashers in Ghana.

“The day we met the woman, I saw other girls. We were over 100. We went to Ghana by road in a luxury bus. When we got to Ghana, I was handed over to a woman and another person took my friend.

“It was when I got to her house that the woman whom I later identified as Madam Faith asked if I was told what I was there for. I said I wasn’t told then she told me I was there for prostitution. She said men would be sleeping with me for money. She explained that I would pay her one million cedis. When I heard that men would be sleeping with me, I started crying. I told her I wanted to return home. But she told me I couldn’t because she bought me from the woman for N150, 000.

“She told me to rest for that day so I could start work the following day. The following day, she said I should be seducing men to sleep with me. I said I couldn’t do that.

“The place was not a hotel but a slum in Ghana. On the third day, I ran away from the house. I did not know where I ran to. I just kept moving away from the neighbourhood.

“I met a man who accommodated me and I stayed with him for some days until Madam Faith discovered where I was because the place was not far away.

“She came to pick me from there and handed me over to another woman who took me to Cote D’lvoire. When we got to Cote D’lvoire, the woman told me I would pay her the balance of N1m. I said I cannot pay her because I had no such money. Meanwhile, I was made to work as a prostitute and making a daily contribution. It was the contribution I withdrew and ran back to Ghana. I could have returned to Nigeria but the money was not enough for my transport fare to Nigeria.”

Oveze said when she got to Ghana she saw a man as she was wandering around a ghetto and narrated her ordeal to him.

MORE READING!  Military frees abducted Lagos editor Segun Olatunji

She said the man also took her in with him and started sleeping with her.

She added that Madam Faith later saw her with the man and noticed that she was pregnant.

“She attempted to abort the pregnancy for me but the doctor she contacted said he wouldn’t want to abort pregnancy for Nigerian girls and advised her to return me to Nigeria.

“That day, a man known to her wanted to have sex with me and was kissing me. I slapped him and Madam Faith slapped me back and we started fighting. There was a man selling clothes in the area named Mustapha, who asked me what happened later and I explained everything to him. He then promised to take me back to Nigeria the following week. That was how I escaped from Ghana.”

She said Mustapha promised to help her on condition that the transportation fare from Ghana to Nigeria would be refunded to him by Oveze’s family on arrival in Nigeria.

MORE READING!  Police neutralise two notorious bandits in Benue

The help rendered by Mustapha nearly became a burden to Oveze’s grandmother as the man stayed with her for weeks awaiting repayment of the fare.

The matter was eventually settled by the District Police Officer of Igarra Police Station who paid over 80 per cent of the money before the Good Samaritan left the grandma’s abode.

However, Oveze is not the only Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana for prostitution. Though lucky to escape and return to Nigeria, that is not the case for many helpless Nigerian girls sold into prostitution in other neighbouring African countries.

The Edo State Commissioner for Social Development and Gender issues, Mrs Maria Edeko, bemoaned Oveze’s ordeal.

According to her, her case is similar to many others the ministry is handling at the moment. She said cases of human trafficking were mostly common in Edo South and Central parts of the state, adding that the state government was passionate about fighting the scourge.

Edeko said,

“Since she is from Igarra, the ministry has a skill acquisition centre there. Her rehabilitation will be free of charge and after completing the training, we may be able to empower her. But what is most important now is the psycho-social support for her. Our social workers there can provide that for her because she has gone through trauma. The trauma management for her is also important because we shouldn’t forget that aspect and only focus on the empowerment aspect.’’

Edeko said immediately after the coronavirus lockdown was over, the ministry would take up her case.

MORE READING!  NSCDC arrest two suspects for forging district head's signature

Also, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons said Oveze’s case was similar to the ones it was handling but would need her support to apprehend the cartel behind her ordeal.

The agency’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Obi Onyebuchi, said the agency desired to take up her case immediately but for the lockdown occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s a good case which we are interested in. But we have to wait till the end of the lockdown before we can do anything on it, “Onyebuchi stated.

The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, also expressed willingness to take up the matter as the chairperson of the state special task force on irregular migration.

She, however, said NAPTIP was the appropriate agency to handle the case.

Omoregbe said,

“Unfortunately, we have found that many traffickers come from outside the state to lure out our children. Essentially, once we know about a case like this, the person comes under our protection and we provide different kinds of succour for them.

“Usually, they come under our assistance and we help them with funds to rehabilitate them. I personally meet with them every month and we try to see what more we can do to rehabilitate them. This particular case is however outside our jurisdiction because the lady who trafficked her is in Osun State. I think NAPTIP is the appropriate agency for that although we work closely together. But if she comes around, I will see what we can do.”

Advertisement
Comments



Trending