Several Nigerian survivors of human trafficking have narrated the horrific abuse they endured after being lured to Côte d’Ivoire with promises of legitimate employment, only to be forced into prostitution, labour exploitation and captivity.
The victims, identified as Monica, 17; Juliet, 18; Rejoice, 25; Joy, 22; and Monica Tamah, 38, were rescued in a joint operation involving the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation (GAHTO) and authorities in Côte d’Ivoire.
According to GAHTO founder Prosper Michael, the victims were deceived with promises of jobs and a better future before being transported from Nigeria to Côte d’Ivoire, where they were allegedly held against their will and exploited.
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One of the survivors, 17-year-old Monica, said she accepted what she believed was a bakery job in Abuja before being moved through Lagos and taken across the border.
“I informed my parents because I believed the offer was genuine. We later realised there were no jobs after we were locked in a room,” she said.
She recalled that the traffickers monitored their conversations with family members and forced them to pretend everything was normal.
“When I spoke to my mother, I started crying, and they immediately collected the phone from me. They kept deducting money from the little we earned without explaining why,” she said.
She eventually escaped with another victim after receiving assistance from local residents, who helped them contact GAHTO.
Another survivor, Monica Tamah, said she travelled abroad hoping to provide for her family and fund her daughter’s education but was instead forced into prostitution.
“When we got there, we discovered there were no jobs. Instead, we were told we had been brought for prostitution and had to repay transportation debts through sex work,” she said.
She alleged that she remained in captivity for about six months and was forced to sleep with as many as 15 men every day while traffickers collected almost all the money generated from the exploitation.
GAHTO said its representative in Côte d’Ivoire coordinated the rescue with support from local authorities and disclosed that three additional victims from Benue State were rescued in a separate operation.
The organisation urged Nigerians to verify overseas job opportunities through government-approved channels and report suspected trafficking cases to security agencies.
It also called for stronger collaboration among governments, law enforcement agencies and international partners to dismantle trafficking networks, rescue victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
