Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command, were shocked after an 18-year-old girl, Elo Etim, gleefully told them that her mom was aware that she was going to Abidjan in Ivory Coast, for prostitution. According to the girl, her mom was so elated that she gave her phone to call her and also prayed for her to be successful.

Etim and another girl, Francess, a 19-year-old girl were rescued by RRS men. They were about to be trafficked to Ivory Coast by Martha Edea, 30, a mother of two from Ogoja, Cross River State. Operatives arrested Martha in Lagos, just as she was travelling with the young girls from Benin, Edo State.

Martha confessed to the police that she was trafficked to Ivory Coast by one Mariam, who told her there were chances of securing a good job in the country, but was later introduced to sex work. According to her, she slaved for months in paying back her custodian who brought her to Abidjan.

Martha said: “ I worked for three months to pay Mariam about 300,000 Cefa(N180, 000), to balance her for my transportation to Ivory Coast and also for connecting me.” She added that Mariam, after collecting the money, travelled to Spain, abandoning her as a sex worker.

Martha, who left her children in the village with her mother, couldn’t make headway in the business after her trafficker had travelled to Spain. She further explained that she yielded to her friend’s advice to come back to Nigeria to recruit young girls for the business.

Martha came back to Nigeria and headed to Edo State, where she was told she would find young girls willing to travel out of the country for the job of prostitution. It was at Edo State that she came in contact with two young ladies; Favour and Deborah, who introduced her to the young girls. Martha said: “Favour took me to one Francess Bamidele, who she said was her friend, and would like to be taken out of the country for prostitution.

Francess also agreed to follow me after I told her that the country was good.” Francess, 19, a secondary school dropout, said she was elated to hear from Martha that prostitution was very lucrative in Abidjan. She accepted and decided to travel without telling her guardian.

Martha also contacted Deborah, who lives in the neighborhood to assist her get another girl. Deborah took her to one Elo Etim, 18, who assured Martha she was ready to embark on such a journey. Martha said: “I paid both Favour and Deborah a sum of N10, 000 each for assisting me get a girl each for the journey. I also met with Elo’s mother. I told her what her daughter was about to embark on in Abidjan and she agreed to it. She also prayed for her and wished her good luck.”

Elo confirmed that her mother was elated about the journey, adding that she gave her some money and phone number to call when she gets to Ivory Coast. The trafficker embarked on the journey from Benin, Edo State to Lagos from where they were supposed to connect the Nigerian land border to cross to the Republic of Benin.

Things began to take a twist when Francess, out of curiosity, began to question Martha about her welfare and coming back from Abidjan for Christmas. Francess said: “I asked Aunt Martha how much we would have to pay her for the trip, and she disclosed I and Elo would work for her till we are able to pay a sum of 300,000 Cefa (N180, 000) to gain our freedom in Abidjan.

Human trafficking: Mom prays for teenage daughter to succeed in prostitution

November 6, 2017 Taiwo Jimoh

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command, were shocked after an 18-yearold girl, Elo Etim, gleefully told them that her mom was aware that she was going to Abidjan in Ivory Coast, for prostitution. According to the girl, her mom was so elated that she gave her phone to call her and also prayed for her to be successful.

Etim and another girl, Francess, a 19-year-old girl were rescued by RRS men. They were about to be trafficked to Ivory Coast by Martha Edea, 30, a mother of two from Ogoja, Cross River State. Operatives arrested Martha in Lagos, just as she was travelling with the young girls from Benin, Edo State.

Martha confessed to the police that she was trafficked to Ivory Coast by one Mariam, who told her there were chances of securing a good job in the country, but was later introduced to sex work. According to her, she slaved for months in paying back her custodian who brought her to Abidjan.

Martha said: “ I worked for three months to pay Mariam about 300,000 Cefa(N180, 000), to balance her for my transportation to Ivory Coast and also for connecting me.” She added that Mariam, after collecting the money, travelled to Spain, abandoning her as a sex worker.

Martha, who left her children in the village with her mother, couldn’t make headway in the business after her trafficker had travelled to Spain. She further explained that she yielded to her friend’s advice to come back to Nigeria to recruit young girls for the business.

Martha came back to Nigeria and headed to Edo State, where she was told she would find young girls willing to travel out of the country for the job of prostitution. It was at Edo State that she came in contact with two young ladies; Favour and Deborah, who introduced her to the young girls. Martha said: “Favour took me to one Francess Bamidele, who she said was her friend, and would like to be taken out of the country for prostitution.

Francess also agreed to follow me after I told her that the country was good.” Francess, 19, a secondary school dropout, said she was elated to hear from Martha that prostitution was very lucrative in Abidjan. She accepted and decided to travel without telling her guardian.

Martha also contacted Deborah, who lives in the neighborhood to assist her get another girl. Deborah took her to one Elo Etim, 18, who assured Martha she was ready to embark on such a journey. Martha said: “I paid both Favour and Deborah a sum of N10, 000 each for assisting me get a girl each for the journey. I also met with Elo’s mother. I told her what her daughter was about to embark on in Abidjan and she agreed to it. She also prayed for her and wished her good luck.”

Elo confirmed that her mother was elated about the journey, adding that she gave her some money and phone number to call when she gets to Ivory Coast. The trafficker embarked on the journey from Benin, Edo State to Lagos from where they were supposed to connect the Nigerian land border to cross to the Republic of Benin.

Things began to take a twist when Francess, out of curiosity, began to question Martha about her welfare and coming back from Abidjan for Christmas. Francess said: “I asked Aunt Martha how much we would have to pay her for the trip, and she disclosed I and Elo would work for her till we are able to pay a sum of 300,000 Cefa (N180, 000) to gain our freedom in Abidjan.

I told her I wanted to go back home from where we were and this led to an argument which attracted other passengers on the bus.” Francess further narrated: “The argument made the other passengers in the bus to become suspicious. They alerted policemen when we got to Berger Bus Stop in Lagos. We were all arrested and taken to RRS Headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja.”