23.5.2026
Three Nigerian women from Jos, Plateau State have been narrating how they were lured into a prostitution ring in Mali.
The women Becky Ibrahim, Blessing Nanging and Miracle Yakubu were rescued from Bamako by the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation and brought back to Nigeria.
According to Becky Ibrahim,35, a mother of three, she was approached by a man in Jos who told her about job opportunities in Lagos. Because she was desperate for money to take of her children, she fell into the trap.
“I was approached in Jos by a man who promised to help me secure employment in Lagos. I agreed to travel because I wanted to support my children and pay their school fees,” she said.
“But the journey unexpectedly continued through Cotonou before we ended up in Mali, where we were forced into prostitution. We were beaten whenever we refused.”
She noted that they got to Lagos entered Cotonou with them knowing where they were going until they got to Mali.
Blessing Nanging a mother two added: “I left Plateau State believing I had secured legitimate employment that would help me to cater for my two children.
“But later, the traffickers told us that the supposed ‘shop work’ was prostitution. They intimidated and punished anyone who refused.”
Miracle Yakubu, 23, said she attempted to make a run for it several times, but was caught and brutalised by their captors.
“I suffered severe abuse after attempting to escape. They attacked me and stabbed me with a bottle after I planned to flee alongside another victim.
The women urged young Nigerians to be wary of suspicious overseas job offers and avoid travelling with strangers promising employment opportunities abroad.
Prosper Michael who is Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation president noted that lots of Nigerians are being trafficked to many countries across Africa and the Middle East and forced into unprofitable labour.
Michael called on the Nigerian government, security agencies and international organisations to intensify efforts against trafficking syndicates behind the clandestine trade.