The journey for seven young Nigerian women, primarily teenagers, began with familiar faces such as friends, family, and community members.
They claimed to have connections abroad that offered respectable jobs in boutiques, restaurants, salons, and households.
However, what awaited these young girls across the border was a harsh reality. Their story is one of deceit, coercion, and exploitation.
Their rescue by the Global Anti Human Trafficking Organization (GAHTO), in collaboration with authorities in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), represents more than just a tale of survival.
It serves as a stark reminder of how human traffickers increasingly depend on trusted agents, relatives, and acquaintances to entice vulnerable youth into modern slavery.
For 22-year-old Sunday Sofia, known as "Testie" in Mali, the trap was meticulously set. Employed as a maid and sales assistant in a Lagos boutique for a monthly salary of N20,000, she aspired to earn more to support her family and younger siblings.
When a friend introduced her to what seemed like a better opportunity, she felt hopeful. "It was one of my friends who told me she had found another job for me," Sofia recounted.
"I agreed, thinking it was a legitimate position. We were informed we would be working as housekeepers," she explained.
Instead, she ended up trapped in Mali. Her experience is similar to that of 17-year-old Blessing Samson, Esther Gyang, and Odey Blessing, who were reportedly recruited through a network of agents posing as trustworthy helpers.
Blessing mentioned that a man named Peter approached them in their hometown in Plateau State with what seemed like a life-altering opportunity.
"He told us his sister had a business in Mali and needed people to assist her," she said.
The girls were promised jobs in boutiques, restaurants, and phone shops, and they continuously sought reassurances.
"We asked him if the work was genuinely what he had told us we would be doing there. We even inquired if it was related to hookup work. He replied no," Odey Blessing, also known as "Beauty," remembered.
The reassurances were sufficient for them to pack their bags, but the dream ended almost immediately after they crossed the border.
When they arrived in Mali, the girls were taken not to shops or restaurants, but to bars where they were welcomed by other young women with a phrase they did not understand at the time.
"The next day, the reality was impossible to ignore. They told us there were no boutiques or phone plazas. They said it was prostitution," Odey recounted.
The girls cried, pleaded, and begged, but they were told they had no alternatives.
One alleged trafficker reportedly told them they owed 1.5 million CFA Francs each and could only repay the debt through sex work.
"They started starving us for three days, leaving us with no choice. What followed were weeks of exploitation, with some of us having to service multiple men daily while struggling to pay off debts that seemed unmanageable," Odey said.
According to her, there were no breaks, even during their menstrual cycles.
"Even when we were menstruating, we still had to sleep with men," she stated.
Several of the girls recounted threats that they would go insane if they tried to escape. Blessing remembered being warned repeatedly.
"Our madam threatened that we would lose our minds if we refused to work or attempted to escape," she said. The threats were meant to exploit cultural fears and keep the victims psychologically confined.
In spite of the fear they faced, the girls quietly started to devise their escape plan. Ironically, one of the individuals who later assisted in their rescue was someone familiar to them from their hometown.
Sofia remembered encountering a man from their village who was working in Mali. "We knew him back in our village before we left," she stated. "He is acquainted with us and our parents. When he learned about our predicament, he vowed to assist us," she continued.
This intervention ultimately linked the victims to GAHTO, initiating a rescue operation that would bring them back to Nigeria.
For Sofia, who spent two months in Mali, returning home felt like receiving a second opportunity. "My biggest regret is going to Mali. I am glad to be back in Nigeria. I will not return there again," Sofia expressed. Today, she aspires to resume her hairdressing career and finish the apprenticeship she had to abandon in search of a better life.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the rescues from Burkina Faso is how trust was manipulated.
20-year-old Augusta Akoghamhen mentioned that the recruitment process began through a relative of her father.
The man reportedly assured the family that she would be employed as a domestic worker for foreigners and would travel by plane.
Since the information came from someone the family knew, there was no reason for suspicion. "My father agreed because he thought the job was genuine," Augusta explained. The journey ended up taking over a week by road. Upon arrival, the promises disappeared. "They didn’t even let us rest from the exhausting journey," she remembered. "That very evening, we were compelled to start working. I soon realized that the work was prostitution. At that time, I was already pregnant, but unfortunately, pregnancy provided no protection," she recounted.
For Augusta and her friend Elizabeth, pregnancy added another layer of vulnerability instead of serving as a shield against exploitation.
Augusta stated that she was beaten whenever she resisted working. "Whenever I refused to work because I was unwell, my boss would attack me. Even while pregnant, I was expected to continue servicing clients while surrendering nearly all my earnings," Augusta noted. Elizabeth had a similar experience.
"Had I known it was prostitution, I would have never agreed to travel. My trafficker kept insisting on work even as my pregnancy progressed. She stated we would keep working until we gave birth," she explained.
"What surprised me the most was realizing that I had essentially become a product in a conflict between my boss, Osas, and her co-trafficker, Aisha. Aisha refused to buy me, and I became a product for sale," Elizabeth shared.
The pivotal moment occurred when Augusta discreetly contacted her father in Nigeria. This message set off a series of events that ultimately reached GAHTO and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
GAHTO organized the efforts that led to the rescue of Augusta and Elizabeth from Burkina Faso, after which they were welcomed by NAPTIP’s Benin Zonal Command upon their return to Nigeria.
For the five girls rescued from Mali—Sunday Sofia, Blessing Samson, Esther Gyang, Odey Blessing, and Rose Pam—the intervention marked the end of months filled with fear and uncertainty.
Most returned home with little more than the clothes on their backs.
Some had lost personal items.
Others had worked for months without pay. Yet, all returned with something far more precious: their freedom.
These young women were not abducted by strangers lurking in the shadows. Many were recruited by acquaintances, friends, relatives, neighbors, and trusted members of their community.
The traffickers recognized a painful reality: trust can open doors that force cannot. The girls’ experiences revealed how deceptive promises of jobs, education, and prosperity continue to entice vulnerable young Nigerians into exploitation across borders.
Today, Sofia aspires to resume her journey to becoming a professional hairdresser. Others wish to go back to school, rebuild their lives, and reunite with their families.
For them, the journey home signifies a fresh start and serves as a powerful reminder that no promise of quick riches is worth sacrificing one’s freedom.
According to NAPTIP, human trafficking remains a significant issue in Nigeria, with thousands of victims identified and rescued annually.
In 2025, it rescued over 370 Nigerian trafficking victims from countries such as Ghana, Senegal, and other West African nations, highlighting the persistent cross-border trafficking networks in the region. The agency also noted that many of these victims were intercepted through coordinated operations with international partners before they could be fully exploited.
In the same year, NAPTIP reported securing 93 convictions of human traffickers and intercepting more than 2,500 potential trafficking victims both within Nigeria and across borders, many of whom were being trafficked through recruitment scams targeting West African routes.
(Source: Vanguard Newspapers)
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