A victim of human trafficking identified as Victoria Oshioke has recounted how she became a prostitute and how her supposed lover sold her into prostitution for 500000 cefa (N350000).
This narration was made available to newsmen when she spoke with reporters after she was rescued alongside three other girls identified as Joy Aloaye, Amaka Eze and Anuoluwapo Mustapha by operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The 18-year-old girl revealed that she was first sold to the syndicate when she was 16-years-old and taken to Cotonou, Republic of Benin and later to Mali to engage in prostitution.
She further revealed that she found a way to return back to Nigeria because she couldn’t cope with sleeping with different men every day.
She said;
“The syndicate took me to Mali where I was made to sleep with different men. I came back two years ago and later got a call from my boyfriend, Maxwell, that I should come to Benin. I was living in Auchi then.
“When I got to Benin along with my elder sister, my boyfriend asked me to go back to Mali.
“I refused. in the midnight, he threw us out of his apartment. For fear of being attacked, we agreed to go.
“The next day, which was Tuesday, he put us in a bus coming to Lagos after calling his contact, who resides at Iyana-Ipaja.”
Reacting to the development, the NSCDC on Thursday, January 16 disclosed that they have arrested a 30-year-old suspected member of the syndicate identified as Omowunmi Michael, at her residence in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.
Omowunmi reportedly got into a heated exchange with the girls and threatened to send them back to Edo State after they refused paying an upfront payment of N1 million before she will hand them over to the syndicate’s leader in Cotonou.
According to reports, the girls stormed out of the room in anger, shared their ordeal with the NSCDC officials after being spotted in a truck whose driver they begged for a lift.
Omowunmi was then arrested on Wednesday January 15, while trying to traffick four ladies to Mali for prostitution.
While reacting to the incident, the Commandant of NSCDC Lagos State Command, Cyprian Ehi Otiobhi said;
“Two of the victims, Victoria Oshioke and Joy Aloaye, were transported from Benin, Edo State, by one Favour, who is currently on the run, while Amaka Eze, who hails from Onitsha, Anambra State, was linked to the suspect by one Lekan.”