Three women from Plateau State have been rescued from alleged sex trafficking in Mali after being lured with fake job offers in Lagos, the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organization said.
The victims — Becky Ibrahim, 35, Blessing Nanging, and Miracle Yakubu, 23 — were trafficked through Cotonou to Mali and forced into prostitution under threats of violence, GAHTO said. They were returned to Nigeria with the group’s help.
Speaking in Lagos after their rescue, the women said poverty and unemployment drove them to accept offers of work in Lagos. Instead, they were moved across borders.
Becky Ibrahim, a widow and mother of three, said a man in Jos promised to help her find work in Lagos to support her children. The journey, however, continued through Cotonou and ended in Mali.
“We were beaten whenever we refused,” Ibrahim alleged. “They said it was shop work. When we got there, they told us it was prostitution.”
Blessing Nanging said she left Plateau believing she had secured legitimate employment to provide for her two children. “They intimidated and punished anyone who refused,” she said.
Miracle Yakubu recounted severe abuse after trying to escape. She said she was attacked and stabbed with a bottle after planning to flee with another victim.
The women warned young Nigerians to be wary of suspicious overseas job offers. “Stay where you are and find something genuine to do. Don’t follow people because they promise you jobs abroad,” Ibrahim said.
The women were received in Lagos by the BIROM Association community, which helped arrange their return to Plateau State.
Naomi Badu, Financial Secretary of the BIROM Association in Lagos, said the group acted immediately after learning the victims had re-entered Nigeria through Ghana. “We always try to support our people whenever they are stranded, trafficked or in distress,” Badu said.
Human rights advocate and journalist Jumai Madaki said poverty, insecurity, family instability, and discrimination against girls have made young women from Plateau vulnerable to traffickers. She alleged that victims are often forced to sleep with multiple men daily and assaulted for refusing.
Madaki warned that some former victims later become recruiters after returning home with money. She called for stronger community action, stricter anti-trafficking laws, and increased support for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
GAHTO President Comrade Prosper also raised concerns over labour exploitation involving Nigerians trafficked to Egypt. He alleged that traffickers seize victims’ international passports on arrival and force them into unpaid labour for up to two years.
“We will submit the names of those involved to security agencies for investigation and possible arrest. Slave trade is no longer acceptable,” Prosper said.
He added that GAHTO had received complaints from members of the Yoruba community about sponsors and agents accused of confiscating passports and subjecting Nigerians to harsh working conditions in Egypt.
GAHTO urged the Nigerian government, security agencies, and international organisations to intensify efforts against trafficking syndicates operating across Africa and the Middle East.