By Opeyemi Adelakun
Promises of bakery work and better wages in Abidjan turned into months of captivity for five Nigerian women who were rescued from a human trafficking ring in Côte d’Ivoire this week.
The survivors, identified as Monica, 17; Juliet, 18; Rejoice, 25; Joy, 22; and Monica Tamah, 38, said traffickers exploited their search for livelihoods, moving them from Abuja through Lagos before crossing into Côte d’Ivoire under false pretenses.
“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,” Monica, 17, recounted. She said the victims were coached to lie about their safety during phone calls. “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 added.
Monica Tamah, who had hoped to fund her daughter’s education, said the reality became clear on arrival. “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 described being held for roughly six months. “They made about 50,000 CFA francs every day from us, but we received little or nothing. I remained there for about six months before I was rescued,” she stated, adding that victims were forced to sleep with as many as 15 men daily.
The rescue was coordinated by the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation (GAHTO) with support from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Ivorian authorities. GAHTO founder Prosper Michael said a local representative in Côte d’Ivoire led the operation, and confirmed that three additional victims from Benue State were freed in a separate intervention.
Michael described the operations as a breakthrough in efforts to dismantle trafficking networks across West Africa. He urged Nigerians to verify overseas job offers through official government channels and to report suspicious recruiters to law enforcement.
“We urge Nigerians to verify overseas employment and migration offers through appropriate government channels, remain vigilant against suspicious recruiters and promptly report suspected trafficking cases to law enforcement agencies,” the GAHTO statement read.
The organisation also called for deeper cooperation between governments, security agencies, and international partners to rescue victims and prosecute traffickers.
“We also call for stronger collaboration among governments, security agencies and international partners to dismantle trafficking networks, rescue victims and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice,” the statement added.
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