In June 2024, the Plateau State Government, working with the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), rescued several underage girls trafficked to Ghana for prostitution and sexual slavery by an international trafficking network.
Three of the rescued victims, aged between 18 and 20, were from Plateau State. They had been lured with promises of well-paying jobs but were forced into sex slavery.
One victim, an 18-year-old identified as Regina (not her real name), explained during an interview in Jos how her aunt, her mother’s younger sister based in Lagos, arranged her trafficking.
Regina stated that she lost her father at age 10, leaving her widowed mother to care for her and her siblings alone after her father’s family abandoned them.
Her mother worked as a hawker, labourer at construction sites, and in other menial jobs to provide shelter and food.After finishing secondary school in 2024 with no means to continue her education, Regina considered learning hairdressing or tailoring.
In December 2024, her aunt visited Jos from Lagos and promised to take Regina to Lagos to sponsor her education or help her learn a trade. Regina’s mother and Regina accepted the offer, trusting the aunt.
The aunt presented herself as successful, frequently travelling to Ghana and other West African countries to buy clothes and jewellery for sale in Lagos, and displaying wealth during visits.
Upon reaching Lagos, Regina initially saw nothing unusual as her aunt lived in a two-bedroom flat in a good estate.
She noticed, however, that her aunt stayed indoors during the day and went out at night with different men, often returning late or the next day.Women visitors would spend hours locked in her aunt’s room.
Whenever Regina asked about her education, her aunt told her to be patient as arrangements were ongoing.Her aunt later said she did not want Regina to study in Nigeria and was planning for her to attend university in Ghana.
Regina believed her aunt had her best interests at heart.After about three weeks in Lagos, the situation changed.Regina recalled that one evening her aunt instructed her to prepare for a trip to Badagry the next day to meet a man arranging her travel and university admission in Ghana.
Regina was excited, believing her dreams were coming true.The next morning around 5 a.m., a man and a woman arrived in a car, and they travelled to Badagry. There, Regina met three other young girls, the youngest about 16 years old.
The girls said they were promised jobs in Ghana and were processing travel documents.Her aunt entered a room with the man, then directed Regina to go in for bio-data capture. Inside, a man offered her a drink that tasted unusual.
After drinking it, Regina felt dizzy and lost consciousness.She woke up naked on a bed in another room, feeling pain in her private part and discovering blood. She realised the man had raped her and taken her virginity.
The man and a woman entered, threatening to kill her if she spoke or resisted. They shaved her pubic hair and armpit, cut some head hair, made an incision on her breast, collected the blood, mixed it with a concoction, and forced her to drink it, warning that betrayal or refusal would cause her death within three days.
That night, they transported Regina and the three other girls in a vehicle to an unknown destination.Regina awoke in Burkina Faso, where they were handed over to a woman she called “Madam,” who was from Edo State. Madam informed them they were there for prostitution and that she had paid Regina’s aunt a large sum to buy her.
Madam demanded Regina sleep with men to repay the debt before gaining freedom.Regina spent about three months in Burkina Faso, facing daily abuse from multiple men, receiving only food twice a day, condoms, pads, and body spray.
Madam threatened death if she refused or betrayed her.Her phone had been seized in Lagos, preventing contact with anyone.Later, Madam said the location was dull and moved three girls, including Regina, to Ghana that same night.
In Ghana, they were taken to a brothel and handed to another Madam who claimed she had bought them from the Burkina Faso Madam.
Most girls in the brothel were Nigerians from various states, including two from Plateau.In Ghana, Regina faced 10 to 15 men daily, with clients preferring her because she was considered “fresh.” She cried daily and considered suicide but was sustained by thoughts of her mother and siblings.
Her rescue occurred through a police raid on the brothel one night. Security operatives arrested everyone present, including the Madam.
The next morning, the victims were taken to the Nigerian Embassy, where Regina and other Plateau girls were handed over to officials from the Plateau State Gender & Equal Opportunities Commission and Ministry of Women Affairs.
The officials were emotional upon hearing their stories and assured them of justice. Commissioner for Women Affairs Mrs. Caroline Panglang Dafur, Chairperson of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission Mrs. Olivia Dazyem, and Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang intervened in the matter.
Life After Rescue
Regina stated that living with the stigma of prostitution has been difficult, but counselling from the Ministry and Gender Commission has helped her cope, and the stigma is gradually fading.
The Ministry asked the girls what they wanted to do. Regina expressed her desire to return to school.
The Commissioner promised a scholarship from the Plateau State government to support her education to any level she chooses.Regina plans to write JAMB later this year and hopes to gain admission in the next cycle.
The Gender Commission sponsored a catering training program for her and other girls, which she is nearly completing.
The Commission also provides weekly allowances and monthly food items and other essentials.
Advice to Young Girls
Regina advised young girls to be cautious of offers that seem too good to be true, even from close relatives, stating that if her own aunt could sell her into sex slavery, strangers could do worse.
She expressed gratitude to God for saving her life and giving her a second chance, noting that some trafficked girls lost their lives, either killed for refusing to comply or during attempts to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
